141018 - Bangladesh: Politics and Government (Answered)

Mrs Anne Main
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the imprisonment of the main opposition party leader in Bangladesh on free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in that country.

Mark Field

​I remain concerned that the imprisonment of Khaleda Zia, the main opposition leader in Bangladesh, impedes an effective dialogue between the main parties and could increase the risk of violence around the election which as a consequence may not be fully participatory. The Foreign Secretary met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Ali during his visit to Bangladesh from 9 to 10 February. He stressed the importance of free and fair elections and affording political space to the opposition.