§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the safety of British citizens in Guinea Bissau. [47325]
§ Mr. FatchettWe broadcast several emergency messages via the BBC World Service urging Britons to leave Guinea Bissau and giving them advice about how best to do this. We believe that all British nationals who wished to leave Guinea Bissau have now done so.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the treatment of opposition parties by the Government in Guinea Bissau. [47327]
§ Mr. Tony LloydGuinea Bissau is a functioning multiparty democracy.
Multiparty legislative elections were held for the first time in 1994. They were judged to be free and fair by international observers. There are 11 political parties registered in Guinea Bissau, including the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), of which 6 have seats in parliament. An Electoral Commission in which all parties are represented was set up in march this year, in preparation for the next legislative elections due in November 1998.