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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has facilitated the visit of 19 international delegates from multiple countries to Tamil Nadu under the International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP) 2026, as part of efforts to showcase India's electoral processes and promote global cooperation in election management.
The delegation, comprising representatives from Bhutan, Egypt, Mauritius, Moldova, Indonesia, Benin, Sri Lanka, Peru, Ghana and Namibia, is in India to observe the conduct of ongoing assembly elections, including polling arrangements, voter facilitation measures, and administrative preparedness at the ground level. The programme is designed to offer foreign election management bodies and observers a first-hand experience of India's large-scale democratic exercise. It also aims to facilitate the exchange of best practices in electoral administration among participating countries. According to the statement released by the Election Commission of India, the initiative is part of its broader outreach strategy to strengthen institutional collaboration with global democratic systems and highlight India's robust electoral framework that ensures free, fair and transparent elections. During their visit, the delegates will interact with election officials, observe arrangements at polling stations, and study voter awareness initiatives as well as technology-driven innovations used in the electoral process. They are also expected to be briefed on logistics, security coordination, and the overall operational mechanisms that support smooth polling across constituencies. The programme is being conducted in multiple phases. In the first phase, delegates visited Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on April 8 and 9, 2026, where they were introduced to India's electoral management systems and field-level arrangements. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar inaugurated the second phase of the programme at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi. A total of 34 delegates from 17 countries, including representatives of foreign missions and International IDEA, are participating in this phase. At IIIDEM, the delegates were given demonstrations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and participated in mock polling sessions to gain practical exposure to the voting process. They also interacted with experts on India's electoral safeguards and technological interventions. Following the briefing in New Delhi, the delegates are travelling to Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, where they will visit dispatch centres, district control rooms, media monitoring units, and observe actual polling processes on April 23, 2026. The Election Commission of India said the IEVP serves as a flagship initiative for international engagement and knowledge sharing, enabling visiting countries to understand India's electoral architecture and institutional practices. The programme continues to act as a platform for strengthening democratic cooperation and building trust among election management bodies worldwide, while showcasing India's experience as the world's largest democracy. (ANI)
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