Jordan has requested Election Commission of India for
assistance in election management and electoral reforms. The request
was made by Jordanian Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Awn Khasawneh to the
visiting Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi at
their meeting in Amman. Dr. Quraishi who is heading a four-member
delegation to Jordan on the invitation of the country’s Prime Minister,
assured the Jordanian side of Election Commission of India’s support in
the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to develop election laws and election
management structure. The Jordanian Prime Minister informed the Chief
Election Commissioner about the steps undertaken to create an
independent Election Commission in his country and sought Election
Commission of India’s help in building capacity of Jordanian officials
in conduct of elections. He complimented the Indian Commission for its
remarkable work and said that Jordan would like to benefit from the
experience. Dr. Quraishi made an offer to H.E. Mr. Awn Khasawneh that
the top officials of the proposed Election Commission of Jordan can
receive training at the Election Commission of India. He offered the
Jordanian side Election Commission of India’s training facilities at the
newly created India International Institute of Democracy and Election
Management (IIIDEM), while suggesting that the training can take place
either in India or Jordan or at both places. He briefed the Jordanian
Prime Minister about various aspects of conduct of elections in India
including new interventions like voters’ education and expenditure
control. Dr. Quraishi lauded various measures being taken up by Kingdom
of Jordan under the leadership of King Abdullah II for ensuring a fair
and transparent polling process. He suggested to the Jordanian
Government a set of various statutes and legal provisions relating to
management of Indian elections.
The Jordanian Prime Minister was joined in the meeting by his cabinet
colleagues and other officials. Chief Election Commissioner was
accompanied by India’s Ambassador to Jordan, Mr. R.R. Dash and other
members of the delegation. Dr. Quraishi will have meetings with several
Jordanian Ministers and dignitaries including Ministers of Justice,
Legal Affairs and Political Development and Parliamentary Affairs for
preparing a roadmap of collaboration between the two sides. He is
accompanied by Shri Akshay Rout, Director General, Election Commission
of India; Shri Umesh Sinha, Chief Electoral Officer, Uttar Pradesh and
Shri S.K. Mendiratta, Legal Advisor, Election Commission of India.
