India and Indonesia on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between their Election Commissions to strengthen democratic cooperation, marking another milestone in the growing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
The agreement was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day state visit to Indonesia, where he held bilateral talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Addressing a joint press statement after the delegation-level talks, PM Modi highlighted the shared democratic values of the two nations and said the agreement would further deepen institutional cooperation.
“Democratic values and unity in diversity have always been shared strengths of India and Indonesia. Through the Memorandum of Understanding between the Election Commissions of our two countries, we will further strengthen democratic cooperation,” the Prime Minister said.
The MoU is expected to facilitate collaboration between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Indonesia’s General Elections Commission (KPU), including the sharing of best practices in election management, capacity building and electoral technology.
As part of the cooperation, India will support the development of Indonesia-specific electronic voting machines (EVMs), tailored to the country’s electoral requirements. The collaboration is aimed at helping Indonesia modernise its electoral framework ahead of future elections by drawing upon India’s extensive experience in conducting large-scale democratic exercises using electronic voting technology.
India has successfully used EVMs in national elections since 2004 and has previously shared its electoral expertise with countries including Bhutan, Nepal and Namibia.
Highlighting the broader trajectory of bilateral ties, PM Modi said the partnership between the two countries had entered a new phase of growth.
“The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2018 has now entered a new phase of growth. We are making significant progress in every sector, including development, security, technology, culture and education,” he said.
The Prime Minister also reaffirmed India’s commitment to regional cooperation and the Indo-Pacific.
“India and Indonesia continue to deepen their cooperation on global issues as well. Our outlook on the Indo-Pacific is closely aligned, and India has always attached special importance to ASEAN Centrality,” he added.
The signing of the election cooperation agreement formed part of a broader package of bilateral outcomes announced during the visit, covering defence, maritime security, space, healthcare, agriculture, technology, critical minerals and education.
(With ANI inputs)
