General Election: Foreign Observers

HL Deb 14 March 2005 vol 670 cc118-9WA

Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will invite, through the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe or the Council of Europe, foreign observers to observe any forthcoming British general election. [HL1578]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland

As a participating member of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, we would normally invite its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to send election observers to any elections held in the UK. I fully expect us to repeat our previous practice of doing so once the date for the next general election is announced.