Chief Election Commissioner of India and Chairperson International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA) Gyanesh Kumar met Sonam Pelden Thaye, Election Commissioner of Bhutan, at Nirvachan Sadan here on Thursday.
Democratic best practices featured prominently in discussions between Gyanesh Kumar and the Bhutanese Election Commissioner, an official said. India assumed the annual Chairship from the 2025 Chair, Switzerland, at a Council meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 3, the statement said.
India, a founding Member State of International IDEA, oversees the governance of an intergovernmental Council comprising 35 Member States and 2 Observers from all regions of the world. While Gyanesh Kumar represents India as Chair, Mauritius and Mexico serve as Vice Chairs, according to the statement.
“India’s Chairmanship of International IDEA envisions to share with you all not only the learnings of the world’s oldest, largest, the most diverse and inclusive modern democracy, but also the democratic values and principles deeply enshrined in India’s civilizational heritage,” said Gyanesh Kumar at the time of being elected as chairperson of International IDEA.
“India’s Chairmanship will be decisive, ambitious and action-oriented, demonstrating to the world at large that democracies can lead to a united, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world,” he said. India’s Chairship theme, “Democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world,” reflects a global and ambitious Chairship agenda.
Under this overarching theme, International IDEA and India, through the Election Commission’s India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, will collaborate on projects funded by the project to advance two strategic pillars: reimagining democracy for the future and strengthening the independence and professionalism of electoral management bodies.
India’s strong commitment is a testament to the importance the country places on International IDEA’s mission to support, protect, and advance democracy worldwide. The Chairship presents a vital opportunity to deepen multilateral and cross-regional cooperation at a time when international support for democracy faces significant headwinds.
“Having the world’s largest democracy and a key power in the Global South as the Chair of the Institute is a motive for satisfaction. It is the ostensible proof that International IDEA is a global organization and that the task of protecting democracy is a joint endeavour for all of us, wherever we may come from,” International IDEA’s Secretary-General, Dr Kevin Casas-Zamora, had said at the time of Gyanesh Kumar’s election as the chairman of International IDEA.
India has been a Member State of International IDEA since 1995. The Institute’s Council of Member States has an annually and regionally rotating Chairship, with new Chairs and Vice Chairs elected each December by the Member States.