Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, held a series of bilateral meetings with Heads of various Election Management Bodies on the sidelines of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)  Stockholm Conference on Electoral Integrity in Sweden.

These meetings, held on Tuesday, aimed to further strengthen India’s longstanding partnerships in election management and democratic cooperation, a statement from the poll panel issued on Wednesday said.

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During the sideline meetings, Kumar met with Heads and senior officials from several Election Management Bodies, covering a wide range of global electoral experiences and innovations, the statement said.

Some of the key meetings included Mexico’s Marisa Arlene Cabral Porchas, Coordinator of International Affairs, and Norma Irene De la Cruz, Electoral Councilor, National Electoral Institute; Indonesia’s Mochammad Afifuddin, Chairperson, General Election Commission; Mongolia’s Purvee Delgernaran, Chairperson, General Election Commission; South Africa’s Mosotho Simon Moepya, Chairperson, Electoral Commission; and Switzerland’s Hanspeter Wyss, Policy Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

He also held meetings with the UK’s Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive, Electoral Commission; Germany’s Anna-Karina Elbert, Head, and Claudia Isfort, Assistant Head, Federal Returning Officer’s Office; Ukraine’s Oleh Didenko, Chairperson, and Vitalli Plukar, Deputy Chairperson, Central Election Commission; and Croatia’s Drazenko Pandek, State Electoral Commission.

Later in the day, Kumar delivered the inaugural keynote address at the opening session of the International IDEA Stockholm Conference on Electoral Integrity, where he highlighted India’s commitment to global democratic cooperation and the exchange of best practices in election management.