Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will sponsor independent observers of the elections in May in Turkey; and if so, whether this will be under the auspices of the Council of Europe or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

We are monitoring the run-up to the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 and are in regular discussion with the Turkish electoral authorities, the government, opposition parties and civil society groups. We have stressed the need for the elections to be carried out in a free and fair manner and will continue our dialogue with Turkey throughout the process. Following an invitation from the Turkish authorities and in accordance with its mandate, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is deploying an Election Observation Mission to the 14 May 2023 general elections. We have no plans to sponsor independent observers.