PQ's on Uzbekistan - John Bercow hot on the trail...

Monday, 10 January 2005 Hansard Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Uzbekistan

John Bercow (Buckingham, Con)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to President Karimov of Uzbekistan about (a) the extension of his term of office and (b) the prohibition of Erk, Birlik and the Free Farmers from contesting parliamentary elections this month.

Bill Rammell (Harlow, Lab)
We have not made any direct representations to President Karimov regarding an extension of his current term in office. His second official term in office is due to finish in 2007. Chapter 19, Article 90 of the constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan states that "One and the same person may not be the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for more than two consecutive terms".

We were very disappointed to learn that no opposition political parties had achieved registration in Uzbekistan for the parliamentary elections this December. We have lobbied and will continue to lobby the Uzbek authorities on the registration of political parties in the run-up to the elections. This issue was raised most recently on 11 November by our Charges d'Affaires and other EU Heads of Mission with Foreign Minister Safayev.

Mr Rammell - who we have posted earlier was later refused entry to Uzbekistan, - and hung on grimly with 92 votes at Harlow and is now in charge of Higher Learning - presumably the fragrant Ms kelly looks after - Lower lernin' ?