New Delhi: Express concerns about global electoral trends such as declining turnout, abusive campaigns, violence and false narratives, Election Management Bodies (EMBS) of 14 nations, including India, agreed on Friday to form a working group of all EMBs from around the world to address issues of social media, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Adopting the ‘Delhi Declaration 2025‘At the end of the two-day international conference on ‘Global election year 2024: reiteration of democratic spaces; Key takeaways for the EMBS organized by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the participating EMBS agreed that the proposed task force will meet regularly, virtually or physically, to take stock of the evolving challenges and take up critical issues with large technology entities and other stakeholders. “Towards the end, we resolve to collaborate with each other bilaterally and collectively to constantly improve the efficiency and quality of elections through existing and new formats and forums,” the statement stated.
Along with ECI, the EMBs that adopted the Delhi Declaration were from Mauritius, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Namibia, Indonesia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Tunisia, Ireland and Georgia.
Recognizing technology as an important tool and enabler in delivering smooth and fair elections, the EMBs in the Delhi Declaration agreed to follow the path of technological integration and innovation to make their operations more efficient and effective.
They resolved to strongly resist all false narratives that may be created to undermine the electoral process, and the conduct of elections prescribed under our respective laws and not to allow these narratives to overwhelm their duties in any way.
The EMBs said they would remain committed to transparent, credible and inclusive polls and electoral integrity and would not succumb to any undue pressure or influence that could derail them from their constitutional and legal duties and the law of the land.
In addition to agreeing to maintain the purity of the electoral lists, the EMBS promised to maintain the rights of voters and facilitate them in the electoral process through voter education and increased registration.
The EMBS, while recognizing that the trust of voters and all other stakeholders in the electoral process is paramount, agreed that robust judicial mechanisms must be put in place to deal with post-election complaints.
