India's Election Commission signs MoU with South Korean counterpart

New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Election Commission of India today signed an MoU with its South Korean counterpart to help each other in strengthening the electoral processes and political culture. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Chief Election Commissioner of India V S Sampath on behalf of the poll panel and by Justice Nung Hwan Kim of the Republic of Korea at a brief ceremony. "The MoU has been signed with the common mission of strengthening institutions and processes for democracy, good governance and rule of law in the two countries through combined efforts. It will also help in development of democratic electoral processes and political culture," an Election Commission official said. This is the 13th MoU signed by ECI with other countries and international election panels. It aims at establishing a "mutually cooperative relationship" in the field of election administration. It will also contribute towards developing and strengthening democratic institutions and processes in the two democratic countries of Asia. India has signed such MoUs with the United Nations, Cote D'Ivore, Mexico, Bhutan, South Africa, Afghanistan, Brazil, Russia, Nepal, Chile, Indonesia and International Foundation of Electoral Systems, Washington. Similar MoUs with Venezuela and UNDP are in the pipeline, sources said. Speaking on the occasion, Sampath said, "We are aware of Korea's formidable record in democratic functioning and good electoral practices." Korea is reputed for voters' education, controlled expenditure and technical know-how in conduct of polls. The Korean Election Commission is now the Chair of the Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) and India is the Vice-Chair. Officials from the two countries are also collaborating in the AAEA Working Group to establish an Association of World Election Bodies. PTI