India shares its longstanding partnership in election management and democratic cooperation at Stockholm Conference
CEC Gyanesh Kumar interacts with Indian diaspora in Sweden
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh –
Haryana CEO Pankaj Agarwal said that the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, represented India’s long standing partnership in the field of election management and democratic cooperation at a two-day conference in Stockholm, Sweden. The event was organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
Agarwal said that the CEC held several bilateral meetings with heads of election management bodies from different countries. He also met Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) living in Sweden. During the interaction, he emphasised the importance of their vote and informed them that the Election Commission of India has special arrangements to ensure that NRIs can vote in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. While the Election Commission plays the role of conducting elections, the real strength of democracy lies with the voters. Every vote matters, and every voter contributes to keeping democracy alive and strong, he added.
Gyanesh Kumar underlined India’s leadership in election management. The conference, being attended by over 100 participants representing nearly 50 countries, is organized by International IDEA in collaboration with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish Election Authority, and the Australian Electoral Commission.
The CEC also held discussions with election officers from several countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Moldova, Lithuania, Mauritius, Germany, Ukraine, Croatia, and Switzerland. Key focus areas of the conference included the impact of misinformation, digital disruptions, electoral security, climate-related challenges, and the role of artificial intelligence in elections.