PM Modi Welcomes KPU-ECI MoU, Including E-Voting Exploration

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the General Elections Commission (KPU) of Indonesia and the Election Commission of India (ECI) concerning election management and technology development, including e-voting.

According to Modi, strengthening democracy is a crucial area of focus for Indonesia and India, given that both nations are the world’s second and fourth most populous democracies, respectively.

“The shared values of democracy and pluralism have been a common strength of Indonesia and India. The MoU signed between the election commissions of both countries today will further enhance cooperation between our two democracies, including institutionally through the election commissions,” PM Modi said during a joint press statement with President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.

At the same event, President Prabowo conveyed Indonesia’s stance on the importance of cooperation to strengthen democratic values in each country.

“We are the two largest democracies in the world. India is now the most populous country in the world, and Indonesia is the fourth most populous. Therefore, cooperation between us will certainly bring goodness to the region. Let us continue to move forward together, building a stronger partnership for a more prosperous future for the people of Indonesia and India,” President Prabowo said.

Prior to PM Modi’s visit to Jakarta, the KPU had received a visit from Indian Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty at the KPU office in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/7).

During the meeting between the Indian Ambassador and KPU officials, both parties discussed several points of the MoU, including exploring the use and development of electronic voting technology (e-voting) in Indonesia, which has long been used in India.

In India, electronic voting machine (EVM) technology has been used in elections since at least 2004.