Election management bodies of 13 countries adopt Delhi declaration

The participants have also reiterated that they would never succumb to any undue pressure or influence that could derail constitutional and statutory duties and the law of the land.
Participants of the meet organised by Election Commission, on Friday.
Participants of the meet organised by Election Commission, on Friday.Photo | Express
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NEW DELHI: The chiefs and delegates of election management bodies from 13 countries on Friday adopted ‘Delhi Declaration’ at an international event hosted by the Election Commission of India (EC). They vowed to adopt technological integration and innovation to make the electioneering process transparent, efficient and effective.

The declaration said that “a working group will be constituted of all willing Election Management Bodies (EMB) worldwide for dealing with issues of social media, artificial intelligence and cyber security, which will meet on a regular basis to take stock of the evolving challenges and collectively take up critical issues with big-tech entities and other stakeholders.”

It said that the countries will vigorously resist all fake narratives that may be created to undermine the electoral process and “the conduct of elections as prescribed under our respective laws and not allow these narratives to overwhelm our duties in any manner”.

The Delhi Declaration was adopted during the conclusion of the meet organised by the EC on ‘Global Election Year 2024: Reiteration of Democratic Spaces; Key Takeaways for EMBs’.

Nearly 30 representatives from the EMBs of 13 countries including Bhutan, Georgia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Ireland, Mauritius, Philippines, Russian Federation, Tunisia, and Nepal attended the conference.

“We will remain ever committed to transparent, credible and inclusive polls and to election integrity and shall ensure the conduct of elections in the most non-partisan, unbiased and truthful manner and with utmost correctness,” the declaration read.

The participants have also reiterated that they would never succumb to any undue pressure or influence that could derail constitutional and statutory duties and the law of the land. “We will steadfastly guard the integrity and purity of the list of electors while making sure that no eligible citizen is disenfranchised,” it noted.

The participants also resolved to keep focus on the centrality of the voters and their rights in the election space. “We will take up proactive interventions of voter education and electoral participation for increased registration and turnout of voters. We will engage in a determined fight to keep the election process free, fair, and transparent,” it said.

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