India, Panama sign MoU to establish institutional framework for cooperation in field of election management

Panama City [Panama], July 8 : The Election Commission of India and the Electoral Tribunal (ET) of Panama on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Panama City to establish the institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration.

A three-member ECI delegation led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Rajiv Kumar held interactions with the Presiding Magistrate, Electoral Tribunal of Panama Alfredo Junca Wendehake on strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two Election Management Bodies (EMBs), as per an official release by the Election Commission.

Panama's first vice presidential magistrate Eduardo Valdes Escoffery and second vice presidential magistrate Luis A. Guerra Morales were also present during the discussions.

CEC Kumar while speaking on the occasion said the MoU reflects the ECI's ongoing commitment to engage with electoral bodies across the globe and strengthen the democratic processes worldwide.

He added: "While learning from best election integrity practices from the world over, ECI is committed to sharing its expertise and knowledge in conducting free, fair and transparent elections with its counterparts in other countries."

During the interactions, the Presiding Magistrate of the Electoral Tribunal of Panama, Alfredo, discussed collaboration between the two EMBs on the use of technology and social media in elections.

As per the official release, the ECI has been expanding its links and cooperation with foreign Election Management Bodies (EMBs) through its 'International Cooperation Programme'.

Having signed MoUs with Mexico, Brazil and Chile in the past years, this is the fourth MoU signed by ECI with an EMB in the Latin American region, with an overall 31 MoUs with EMBs and international organisations across the world.

The Election Commission of India and the Electoral Tribunal of Panama are members of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB).

The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from both organisations. The ECI delegation will be attending the 11th Executive Board Meeting of A-WEB and an International Conference at Cartagena, Colombia, according to the release.

The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) is the largest association of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide with 119 EMBs as Members and 20 Regional Associations/Organisations as Associate Members.

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