EC may support countries in improving election management

EC may support countries in improving election mgmt

The Election Commission has expressed its readiness to support Commonwealth nations, especially the developing and African countries, in their efforts to improve election management and democratic practices.

The EC's proposed Indian Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM) will have a special facility for this purpose.

This was agreed at a meeting between Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Quraishi also conveyed EC's commitment to transfer skills and expertise to interested countries in order to advance electoral democracy across the world, an EC press note said on Tuesday.

He also assured the Commonwealth SG of requisite technical and financial support to the newly created Commonwealth Network of National Election Management Bodies (CNNEMB).

Lauding India's leadership in election management and sought EC's active support for the CNNEMB initiative so as to make it fully operational before the next CHOGM meeting in October, Sharma also proposed setting up of Commonwealth Election Partnership Centre in the planned IIDEM.