India and Libya on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi, for cooperation in the field of election management and administration.

Signatories of the MoU were Chief Election Commissioner of India V.S. Sampath and Deputy Chairman of the High National Election Commission (HNEC) of Libya Najeeb Abdessalam Mohammed Arrabiti.

Among the major aims of the MoU are promotion of exchanges of knowledge and experience in electoral processes, exchange of information, materials, expertise and training of personnel, production and distribution of materials pertaining to electoral systems, voting technology, voters' education and awareness, and participation of women and minorities in electoral process. 

With the signing of the MoU, the Libyan Election Commission seeks training and electoral assistance from Election Commission of India (ECI).

Sampath described the agreement as an appropriate framework for strengthening and improving mutual collaboration between ECI and the newly constituted Commission in Libya.

He expressed confidence that the MoU would facilitate sharing of best practices, skills and experiences between the two institutions for mutual benefit, as well as the ECI's readiness to extend all technical and training support needed by the HNEC  so that it could fulfil its responsibility for establishing a strong and durable democratic process in Libya. 

Arrabiti praised the expertise and experience gained by ECI in conducting the largest elections in the world in a peaceful, transparent and credible manner. He also stated that this MoU is an important step in mutual cooperation and would facilitate sharing of experience and skills.

The four-member Libyan delegation was given a detailed briefing on the Indian electoral system and management practices, and a demonstration on the working of the Electronic Voting Machine.

Arrabiti requested for training facilities for the new election officials of Libya through mutual visits in near future, and by making use of ECI's India Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).

So far, the ECI has signed sixteen MOUs with Election Management Bodies and international organizations across the world. Some of the MoU signed recently are with Egypt, Venezuela, Republic of Korea and UNDP. 

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