December 1st 2025.
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is all set to take over as the Chair of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA) on December 3. The prestigious position will be handed over to Kumar during the Council of Member States meeting of International IDEA, which will be held in Stockholm, Sweden. As the Chair, Kumar will be responsible for presiding over all council meetings throughout the year 2026.
In a statement, the ECI said, "This is a significant recognition of the ECI's efforts in conducting free, fair, and transparent elections in India. We are proud to have CEC Gyanesh Kumar represent our country and take on this important role at the global level." Established in 1995, International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting democratic institutions and processes around the world. With 35 member countries and two Observers (the United States and Japan), the organization strives for inclusive, resilient, and accountable democracies. It also holds observer status in the UN General Assembly since 2003.
"The Chairship is a major milestone for the ECI, showcasing our credibility and innovation as an Election Management Body on a global platform," the ECI added in its press release. India, being one of the founding members of IIDEA, has always been actively involved in the organization's governance, democratic discourse, and institutional initiatives. With Kumar as the Chair, India's vast experience in conducting the world's largest elections will be instrumental in shaping IIDEA's global agenda. The collaboration between the two will also promote knowledge-sharing, strengthen professional networks among Election Management Bodies (EMBs), and support evidence-based electoral reforms worldwide.
As the world's largest electorate with nearly a billion eligible voters and well-documented transparent electoral processes, India is committed to sharing its best practices with EMBs from around the world. The ECI's training institute, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), will work closely with IIDEA to organize joint programs, workshops, and research collaborations. This will help in preparing EMBs globally to tackle challenges such as disinformation, electoral violence, and erosion of voter trust.
IIIDEM has been providing training to election officials not only within the country but also to officials from other countries. So far, it has signed MoUs with 28 countries and trained 3169 officials from 142 countries. Under Kumar's leadership, IIDEA and ECI will work together to document and disseminate the ECI's technological and administrative innovations and best practices internationally. In October, Kumar and other Election Commissioners had a meeting with a delegation from IDEA, led by Secretary General Kevin Casas Zamora, Chief of Staff Jessica Kehayes, and Secretary Sibi George, at the ECI headquarters in New Delhi. This meeting was held a few months after Kumar delivered the keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity in June.
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