§ Mr. William Sheltonasked the Lord Privy Seal whether British representatives will take part in the Commonwealth observer team monitoring the Ugandan elections; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuceYes. The Commonwealth Secretary-General has, at the request of the Ugandan authorities and of the political parties in Uganda, agreed to send a Commonwealth observer team to monitor the elections to be held in Uganda on 10 December. An essential condition of the initiative, and of British participation in the Commonwealth team, was that all political parties in Uganda should accept the election ground rules and agree to contest the elections. This consensus has now been obtained.
The observer team, consisting of observers from nine Commonwealth countries—Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom—with its assistants, has now left for Uganda. The United Kingdom members of the team are Mr. Robin Wainwright, CMG, and Mr. T.H.R. Cashmore of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Commonwealth Secretariat proposes to send, nearer to the polling day, a further group drawn from the same countries to assist the principal observers.
Her Majesty's Government welcome the initiative by the Commonwealth Secretary-General and hope that this will contribute to ensuring that the forthcoming elections in Uganda are free and fair.