§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the fairness of the recent parliamentary elections in Mali. [70874]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe first round of parliamentary elections in Mali was on 14 July. The second is due on 28 July. Turnout for the first round was low, at under 20 per cent. However the Malian Government has worked hard to overcome some of the problems experienced in the presidential elections earlier this year. The elections are being observed by a number of Malian NGOs, who will not release their assessments of the elections until after the second round. Our Embassy in Bamako is also monitoring the elections closely.