India and Namibia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that enables them to jointly work on election management systems that benefit both countries.
The MoU was signed by Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner of India, and Elsie T Nghikembua, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, on the sidelines of the India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026 in New Delhi on Thursday.
Speaking on the agreement, Nghikembua said one of the main areas of work mentioned in the MoU deals with capacity building for both the officials and the commission, for which trainings will be undertaken.
“As election management bodies, we are focusing on elections. India is the world’s largest democracy. For Namibia, this partnership will benefit us in many ways. One of the areas in the MoU concerns capacity building for our officials and the commission. Training will be conducted, whether virtually or with our officials attached here to the Election Commission of India. It is a bilateral agreement that will benefit both countries,” she said.
IICDEM 2026 reinforced cooperation among global election management bodies and brought together election management bodies from across the world, positioning India as a key hub for global dialogue on democratic processes, innovation, and inclusive election management.
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“There are many thematic areas. The outcome is for improved service delivery for all our election management bodies. Each country would give its perspective, and, based on the recommendations, each country, within its own context, would see what is applicable so that it can strengthen its own areas of operation,” Nghikembua added.
Election officials from several other countries also underscored the importance of the conference as a platform for sharing experiences and best practices, with Portugal’s Election Commissioner, Andre João Mauricio Leitão Do Valle Wemans, appreciating the Indian electoral system to have reached “every voter”, which is an inspiration for Portugal.
“We share all the information and experience of several electoral management bodies. We learn from each other; we are all facing similar challenges. So this change of information and the lead from the Electoral Commission of India are very important,” he said, adding, “You have managed to reach every voter much more than the Portuguese have managed. So it is a very impressive work from the Electoral Commission of India.”
Mosotho Moepya, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, hailed the IICDEM as a major training institute.
“The Electoral Commission of India and the Electoral Commission of South Africa have worked together on many occasions before. They (IICDEM) are a major training institution, and, as electoral management bodies, they offer facilities that not only benefit India but are also available to all of us worldwide. It is a great initiative. One of the two themes of this conference is to reimagine the work that we would do, in the year 2050, for example and begin to do that today.”
Indonesia’s Election Commissioner, Idham Holik, also expressed appreciation for the invitation, saying, “We are grateful to have been invited to present this international conference. I extend thanks to the Election Commission of India. This conference will provide us with more information and help advance election management in Indonesia.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Norma Irene De La Cruz Magana, Electoral Councillor of Mexico, said, “We are delighted to be in this event. We recognise India’ leadership not just in organising elections, but also in incorporating technology and measures of inclusion. This is an amazing opportunity.”
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