CEC Gyanesh Kumar to deliver keynote address at the International IDEA StockholmConference on Electoral Integrity tomorrow

New Delhi, June 09: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Shri Gyanesh Kumar, who is visiting Sweden
to attend the International IDEA Stockholm Conference on Electoral Integrity, being organised
from June 10-12,2025, had a memorable interaction with the Indian Diaspora in Sweden. The
CEC reiterated the Election Commission’s focus on inclusive participation and civic engagement
among Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs). He highlighted
initiatives such as the Online Voter Registration System and the Electronic Transmission of
Postal Ballot Management System (ETPBMS), aimed at enabling greater participation of overseas
voters.
Underlining India’s leadership in election management, Shri Gyanesh Kumar has been
invited to deliver the inaugural keynote address at the Conference beginning tomorrow. The
massive scale of the Indian elections and the magnitude of the logistics involved in the exercise
evinces keen interest amongst the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) across the world. Over
100 participants representing around 50 countries are taking part in the Conference, which is
being organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
(International IDEA) in collaboration with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish
Election Authority, and the Australian Electoral Commission.
The CEC will begin his meetings with the senior officials of International IDEA, including
the Secretary General, Mr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA today.
This would be followed by detailed one-to-one bilateral meetings with the Chief Election
Commissioners of nearly 20 countries including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France,
South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, and Switzerland amongst others, further reinforcing
India’s commitment to global democratic cooperation and the exchange of best practices in the
coming days.
Besides others, Sh. Gyanesh Kumar would also be interacting with other senior
international counterparts, including Ms. Leena Rikkilä Tamang, Director (Asia-Pacific),
International IDEA; Dr. Elsie T. Nghikembua, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of
Namibia; and Mr. Abdool Rahman Mohammad Irfan, Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius.
The Stockholm Conference brings together heads of EMBs, policymakers, and
institutional leaders to deliberate on contemporary challenges to electoral integrity. Key focus
areas include disinformation, digital disruption, electoral security, climate-related risks, and
the role of Artificial Intelligence in elections. As the world’s largest democracy, India has
maintained a longstanding partnership with International IDEA, contributing actively to global
discourse through its institutional innovations and democratic experiences. Through various
capacity building programmes and conferences, the India International Institute of Democracy
and Electoral Management, IIIDEM is also emerging as a premier institute for electoral
management excellence.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar is leading a delegation comprising senior officials from ECI
including the Director General of IIIDEM, Shri Rakesh Verma, Shri Vijay Kumar Pandey, DDG
(Law) and Shri Rahul Sharma, Principal Secretary.