The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host the inaugural India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM)-2026 from 21-23 January, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
The three-day international conference is being organised by India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) under the aegis of ECI.
IICDEM 2026 will be the largest global conference of its kind hosted by India in the field of election management and democracy. It will be attended by nearly 100 international delegates representing Election Management Bodies (EMBs) from across the world, along with representatives from international organisations, foreign missions in India, and academic and practicing experts in the field of elections.
The conference will carry forward the agenda laid out by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, upon India’s assumption of the Chairship of the Council of Member States of International IDEA for the year 2026, anchored in the theme “Democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world.”
At a media interaction today, IIIDEM Director General Rakesh Verma outlined the broad contours of IIIDEM 2026. He stated that the conference would serve as a global platform for international cooperation among Election Management Bodies, enabling the development of a shared understanding of contemporary challenges, exchange of best practices and innovations, and co-creation of solutions. The address was followed by an unveiling of the official logo of IICDEM 2026.
IICDEM 2026 will also familiarise the participants, representing a significant proportion of the global electorate, with India’s electoral framework, processes, and technological innovations that have made Indian elections an exemplar among democracies.
The conference programme will include general and plenary sessions such as the Inaugural Session, EMB Leaders’ Plenary, EMB Working Group Meetings, and the launch of ECINet, along with thematic sessions covering global electoral themes, model international electoral standards, and best practices and innovations in electoral processes.
During the three-day conference, ECI led by the Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi will be holding over 40 bilateral meetings with the heads of participating EMBs and other international delegates.