§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the use of public funds by the ruling MMD party in Zambia during the presidential election in December 2001. [82822]
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§ Mr. RammellMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has received no such reports. However, the second interim statement by the European Union Election Observation Mission, which was issued before the Presidential election in December 2001, alleged the use of Government resources for party political purposes. Evidence of this has been presented to the Zambian Supreme Court as part of the on-going petition challenging the legitimacy of the election result.