Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of Egypt's latest parliamentary election laws.

The new parliamentary law, passed by interim President Adly Mansour, includes many changes to the structure of the Egyptian parliament. The law increases the number of parliamentary seats to 567, with 420 seats being elected by single member constituencies and 120 elected through party lists.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised the parliamentary elections and the need for political inclusiveness with former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy on 14 May. On 3 June, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement urging Egypt's leaders to ensure that the transition leads towards accountable and democratic governance, underpinned by strong and accountable institutions.