Global Election Bodies Converge in Delhi for Democracy Summit

"The Election Commission of India and the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management are jointly organising this three-day conference in collaboration with International IDEA. All the preparations for this conference have been completed. The conference is starting tomorrow. Election management bodies from many countries are participating. More than 40 election management bodies are participating, and in addition, about 30 ambassadors and high commissioners from different countries will also attend," Verma told ANI.

He further said, "Besides this, our Chief Electoral Officers and representatives from our national institutions, including IITs, IIMs, National Law Universities, and other reputed universities, will also be participating, with around 100 delegates in total."

Elaborating on the agenda, Verma said, "This conference, which is being held for three days, has three types of themes. There is a global thematic session that includes many cross-cutting areas and subjects we will discuss. In addition, we are developing model standards for the electoral process, and 11 sessions are being held on that. There are also about 25 sessions on best practices in electoral management and innovation. So, there will be a total of 43 sessions in this conference, and all kinds of subjects related to election management and the future of democracy will be discussed."

He added that several international delegations have already arrived, saying, "Some delegations have already arrived. Delegations have arrived, such as the delegation from the UK, Sri Lanka, and Fiji."

The ECI is set to host the inaugural India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026 from January 21 to 23, positioning India at the centre of global dialogue on democratic governance and electoral practices.

The three-day conference will be organised by the IIIDEM at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The conference aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and innovations among Election Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide.

Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, will receive the delegates and flag off the proceedings at the inaugural session on January 21.

As per the release, the programme features general and plenary sessions, including an EMB Leaders' Plenary, EMB Working Group meetings, and thematic discussions on global electoral challenges, model international electoral standards, and innovations and best practices in electoral processes.

As many as 36 thematic groups, led by CEOs of States and Union Territories and supported by national and international academic experts, will contribute to in-depth deliberations during the conference. These discussions will also have participation from leading academic institutions, including four IITs, six IIMs, 12 National Law Universities (NLUs) and IIMC.

- ANI