§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Russian election and referendum.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe elections and referendum have given Russia her first post-Soviet democratic Parliament and a constitution which guarantees democratic institutions and individual human rights. This is an historic advance. No single party won an overall majority in the new Parliament. The democrats and reformers have won about one third of the seats. The extreme nationalists did unexpectedly well, but we should keep this in proportion; they have 64 seats out of the 450 in the lower House, the Duma. President Yeltsin has said that Russia will continue on the path of reform and Britain will continue to support that progress.
British observers, including several hon. Members of this House, concluded that the election procedures, although complex, were adequate to ensure a fair poll and reflected the views of the Russian people. Copies of their report have been placed in the Library of the House.