Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will assume the Chairship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026. He will take over the post on December 3, 2025, during the meeting of the Council of Member States in Stockholm, Sweden, and will preside over all Council meetings throughout 2026.
International IDEA, founded in 1995, is an inter-governmental organisation that works to strengthen democratic institutions and electoral processes worldwide. It currently has 35 member countries, with the United States and Japan as observers.
India is a founding member of International IDEA and has played an active role in its governance and initiatives. The Chairship is seen as a recognition of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) credibility and innovation as one of the world’s leading Election Management Bodies.
As Chair, Gyanesh Kumar is expected to draw on India’s extensive experience in conducting elections for nearly one billion voters. The ECI will work with International IDEA to support global electoral reforms, enhance knowledge-sharing among Election Management Bodies, and strengthen professional networks.
The collaboration is also expected to focus on emerging challenges such as disinformation, electoral violence, and declining voter trust. The India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), ECI’s training institute, will support joint programmes, workshops, and research initiatives with International IDEA.
IIIDEM has signed MoUs with 28 countries and has trained 3,169 officials from around 142 countries since its establishment. Under the CEC’s chairship, International IDEA and the ECI will work together to document and disseminate India’s electoral best practices and innovations globally.