By Vineet Dikshit

NewsGate Press Network

In keeping with the tradition of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to foster a culture of transparency and reiterate its commitment to high standards of electoral practices amidst the democratic nations, 75 delegates representing 23 countries have landed in New Delhi to witness the Indian General Elections as part of the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP).

According to an official statement issued by the Election Commission of India, an event was held on Sunday the 5th of May 2024 to formally host the overseas observers.

This year, commensurate to the scale and stature of the on-going Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the largest ever delegation representing various Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and organisations from 23 countries namely – Bhutan, Mongolia, Australia, Madagascar, Fiji, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Moldova, Tunisia, Seychelles, Cambodia, Nepal, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Chile, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Namibia are taking part in the event.

Members from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and media teams from Bhutan and Israel are also

Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar while addressing the delegates, remarked that the contribution of the Indian electoral space and work done by the Election Commission of India, holds a significant portion of the world democratic space.

In terms of process and capacity it generates, what can be legitimately called, ‘democratic surpluses’ is of a huge significance in the otherwise growing concerns of shrinkage of or decline of democratic spaces worldwide.

On the sidelines of the event, the Commission also held bilateral interactions with the Chief Election Commissioners of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Nepal along with their delegation.