§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the fairness of the Ugandan referendum on the Movement System of 29 June; what discussions he has had with the Government of Uganda(a) during and (b) since the campaign; and if he will make a statement. [131414]
§ Mr. HainIn its statement of 1 July, the International Donor Referendum Group, which includes the UK, concluded that although the voting had been peaceful and orderly, the Referendum campaign as a whole had not been conducted on a level playing field. While noting that it was not clear that these shortcomings were on a scale significantly to influence the result of the Referendum, the Group expressed its hope that the presidential elections scheduled for 2001 would resume momentum towards more inclusive Government.
The Group has since met with President Museveni to discuss progress towards greater pluralism, good governance and democratic accountability.