The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday began a five-day workshop on “Risk Management and Electoral Resilience” at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi, bringing together election officials from 12 countries to strengthen preparedness against threats to electoral processes.
Organised from May 25 to 29, 2026 in collaboration with International IDEA, the programme is part of India’s Chairship of the Council of Member States of International IDEA for 2026. It seeks to help Election Management Bodies (EMBs) build structured frameworks, policies, and operational systems to identify and manage electoral risks.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, addressed participants during the inaugural session and interacted with them on the opening day.
“All Election Management Bodies (EMBs) in the world need to keep identifying risk areas and work to mitigate them in accordance with Law and keep strengthening the democratic systems by enhancing competition amongst the candidates/ parties and increase the voter participation,” CEC Gyanesh Kumar said.
A total of 32 participants are attending the workshop, including Election Commissioners and senior officials from 12 EMBs, along with electoral managers, risk management and technology professionals, and officials engaged in crisis management and electoral integrity initiatives.
The sessions focus on the need for proactive identification, assessment, and management of electoral risks to safeguard electoral integrity, continuity, legitimacy, and public trust amid what the ECI described as “an increasingly complex risk environment.”
Thematic areas covered include foundations of electoral risk management, electoral integrity and safeguards, risk identification and assessment, resilience and crisis management, inter-agency coordination, and strategic planning.
The workshop also features practical demonstrations of the Electoral Risk Management Tool (ERMTool), including customisation of risk factor libraries, Risk and Action Registers (RAR), analytical instruments, and resource portals.
As part of the programme, participants will undertake field exposure visits and institutional interactions aimed at understanding ground-level electoral planning, coordination mechanisms, and practical approaches to risk mitigation.
IIIDEM, the ECI’s training and resource centre, regularly conducts capacity-building programmes for domestic and international election officials. International IDEA, an intergovernmental organisation supporting sustainable democracy worldwide, works with EMBs on electoral integrity and resilience.