Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar stated on December 1, that India had been “invited” by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)’s 37 member states to chair the organisation for the first time in its 30-year history.
However, the claim is misleading. International IDEA’s Rules of Procedure indicate that India’s upcoming chairship is part of a predetermined rotational system, not a special invitation.
International IDEA, is an intergovernmental organisation that supports democracy worldwide. It was founded in 1995, and is made up of 35 member states, and includes United States and Japan as observer states. India, headed by the CEC Kumar, is set to assume its chairship in 2026 as part of the fixed rotation.
India's apex election body is facing a backlash over the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision exercise in 12 states to clean voter rolls. The Election Commission is also fending off allegations from opposition parties of serious irregularities in voter lists in various states.
The Claim: India was invited for the first time by 37 democracies to chair IDEA
On December 1, 2025, CEC Kumar told a group of reporters, it was the first time in 30 years that India was assuming the chairship and that 'the world recognises the successful conduct of free, fair and transparent elections in India.'
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The Election Commission of India's official X handle also posted the statement delivered in Hindi by Kumar.
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What We Found:
1) Chairship decided through fixed rotation
CEC Kumar’s claim that 37 democracies “invited” India for the first time is misleading as the chairship follows a rule-based rotation, and not merit-based or a discretionary invitation.
We checked the International IDEA’s Rules of Procedure (approved on December 6, 2024) shows that the Chair of the Council of Member States is not selected through invitations issued by member countries. Instead, the Chair is chosen from a pre-assigned “Chairship Group Rotation”, listed in Annex 1 of the document.
2) Rotation schedule till 2033
The rotation schedule allocates specific years to groups of member states well in advance, and the schedule is fixed up to 2033. According to Annex 1, India, Mauritius, and Mexico are the designated Chairship Group for 2026. This shows that India’s turn was structurally pre-determined.
We can see the below the list of Chairship group rotation from 2020 to 2036. (as approved on December 6, 2024)
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Additionally, even IDEA's website also shows a column on the next three member states under the "Chairship group rotation".
