NEW DELHI, July 7 (PTI): The Election Commission and the Electoral Tribunal (ET) of Panama on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding in Panama City to establish institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration.
With this, the Election Commission (EC) has expanded its electoral collaboration with more nations. Earlier, it had signed similar MoUs with Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
A three-member EC delegation led by chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar held interactions with Presiding Magistrate, Electoral Tribunal of Panama, Alfredo Juncá Wendehake, on strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two election management bodies.
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Eduardo Valdes Escoffery, the first vice presidential magistrate, and Luis A Guerra Morales, the second vice presidential magistrate, of the ET of Panama were also present, the poll panel said.
Speaking on the occasion, CEC Kumar said that the MoU reflects the EC’s ongoing commitment to engage with electoral bodies across the globe and strengthen the democratic processes worldwide.
“While learning from best election integrity practices from the world over, the EC is committed to sharing its expertise and knowledge in conducting free, fair and transparent elections with its counterparts in other countries,” Kumar said.
During the interaction, Presiding Magistrate of the ET of Panama discussed collaboration between the two EMBs (election management bodies) on use of technology and social media in elections.
According to a statement, the EC has been expanding its links and cooperation with foreign EMBs through its ‘International Cooperation Programme’.
Having signed MoUs with Mexico, Brazil and Chile in the past, this is the fourth MoU signed by the with an EMB in the Latin Americas region. The poll panel has signed a total of 31 MoUs with EMBs and international organisations across the world.
The EC and the ET of Panama are members of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB).
Officials from the ET of Panama also attended the international conference on ‘Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity’ organised by the EC in March this year as the lead for ‘Cohort on Elections Integrity’ under the aegis of the ‘Summit for Democracy’.
