Chandigarh, June 13 - Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Mr. Pankaj Agarwal said that India's Chief Election Commissioner Mr. Gyanesh Kumar advocated India's long-term partnership in election management and democratic cooperation at a two-day conference organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Stockholm, Sweden.
Mr. Pankaj Agarwal said that he also held several rounds of bilateral meetings with the heads of election management corporations of different countries. Apart from this, he also met the NRIs living in Sweden. He told the NRIs about the importance of their vote and informed that the Election Commissioner of India makes separate arrangements for the NRI voters to cast their votes during the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. India is a strong democracy and for the strengthening of democracy, it is necessary that every voter exercises his right to vote. The Election Commission is a resource for the electoral process. The real strength is the voters.
Shri Gyanesh Kumar underlined India's leadership in election management. More than 100 delegates representing about 50 countries participated in this conference. It was organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in collaboration with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish Electoral Authority and the Australian Electoral Commission.
He said that the countries with which the Chief Election Commissioner of India has interacted include the United Kingdom, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Moldova, Lithuania, Mauritius, Germany, Ukraine, Croatia and Switzerland. The main focus areas of this program include disinformation, digital transformation, electoral security, climate-related risks, and the role of artificial intelligence in elections.