New Delhi, Dec 1 — Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is set to take over as Chair of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) on December 3, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday. He will assume the position during the Council of Member States meeting scheduled to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, and will preside over all council meetings throughout 2026.
According to the ECI, this appointment marks a global recognition of India’s commitment to conducting free, fair, and transparent elections. “As a global acknowledgement of free, fair and transparent elections held by the Election Commission of India and all the election staff of the country, CEC Gyanesh Kumar is set to assume the Chairship of International IDEA on December 3, 2025,” the statement said.
International IDEA, founded in 1995, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to strengthening democratic institutions and processes worldwide. It currently has 35 member states, with the United States and Japan serving as observers. The organisation focuses on promoting inclusive, resilient, and accountable democracies and has held observer status at the UN General Assembly since 2003.
India, a founding member of International IDEA, has played an active role in the organisation’s governance and policy initiatives. As Chair, Gyanesh Kumar will apply India’s vast experience in conducting the world’s largest elections to guide IDEA’s global agenda. This includes enhancing knowledge-sharing partnerships, strengthening professional networks among Election Management Bodies (EMBs), and supporting evidence-based electoral reforms.
The ECI noted that collaborations between International IDEA and the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) will help address global challenges such as disinformation, electoral violence, and declining voter trust. IIIDEM has trained over 3,169 officials from 142 countries and signed MoUs with 28 nations, establishing itself as a hub for electoral capacity-building.
The announcement follows a recent meeting between the CEC, Election Commissioners, and an IDEA delegation led by Secretary General Kevin Casas Zamora in New Delhi, and comes months after Gyanesh Kumar delivered the keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity in June.
