India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's claim that the country has been "invited" by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) to assume the chairmanship of the organisation is misleading.
Fact-check organisation BoomLive reported that, the claim made by the CEC is fallacious because IDEA's Rules of Procedure demonstrate that India will chair the organisation based on a pre-established gyratory procedure. India didn't get the chairmanship based on some special invitation.
What is IDEA?
International IDEA was founded on February 28, 1995, in Stockholm, Sweden, with a goal to sustain and safeguard democratic institutions and processes across the world. The organisation consists of 35 member states, with the US and Japan as observers. CEC Gyanesh Kumar is India's default representative in the organisation, and the nation will be chairing the body in 2026 on a rotational basis.
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Why is the claim misleading?
In a press conference held on December 1, Gyanesh Kumar told reporters that India got the chairmanship of IDEA, and that India's organising of free and fair elections has been recognised by the world.
BoomLive reported that the claim is majorly ambiguous because India will assume the chair of International IDEA through a fixed rotation, and that the schedule for rotation has been chalked out until 2033. Mauritius and Mexico, along with India, are part of the Chairship Group for the upcoming year. Similarly, in 2027, South Africa, Belgium and Costa Rica will take the charge, with South Africa taking the lead.
