Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on August 11 said any ranking of democracies by international agencies should be objective and take into account the local context.
Mr. Kumar was speaking at a virtual meeting hosted by the Election Commission of India for the Asian regional forum ahead of the Summit for Electoral Democracy to be hosted by the National Electoral Institute of Mexico in the coming month. The meeting was on the theme of “making our elections inclusive, accessible and participative”.
In the keynote address, Mr. Kumar said “democracy and democratic institutions flourish when all groups of people are fully represented”, an ECI statement said.
“He added that the framework for assessment and so-called ranking of democracies by global evaluating agencies should be objective and contextual, factoring in the magnitude, socio, cultural and geographical context in which each country and EMB [election management body] functions,” the ECI statement said.
The meeting included participation from representatives of EMBs of Mexico, Mauritius, Philippines, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Maldives and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the Association of World Election Bodies and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.
