India, Indonesia Ink Election Cooperation Pact, New Delhi To Help Jakarta Develop Customised EVMs

India-Indonesia Ties: India and Indonesia on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in election management, with New Delhi set to support the development of customised Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for Jakarta.

While announcing the agreement during a joint press conference with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the partnership would further deepen democratic cooperation between the two countries.

“Democratic values and unity in diversity have been shared strengths for both India and Indonesia. We are set to further strengthen our democratic cooperation through an MoU between the Election Commissions of both nations,” PM Modi said.

#WATCH | Jakarta, Indonesia: PM Narendra

Modi says, “…In these times of global turbulence, India believes that the role of dialogue and diplomacy has become more critical than ever. Regarding the issue of Palestine, we support a two-state solution and long-term peace. A golden… pic.twitter.com/Gapm4C0NxP

— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2026

He further said that the agreement would enhance cooperation in election technology, capacity building, human resource development and the exchange of best practices. PM Modi also noted that India and Indonesia shared a common outlook on the Indo-Pacific and reiterated India’s commitment to ASEAN centrality.

According to sources familair with the matter, India will assist Indonesia in developing country-specific EVMs as Jakarta prepares to introduce electronic voting from the 2029 elections. Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy with a population of nearly 288 million, currently conducts elections using paper ballots.

Officials from both sides have already exchanged visits to study India’s EVM design, election supervision systems, voter awareness initiatives and digital tools for democratic governance.

During the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, officials from Indonesia’s election commission were part of a multi-national team that came to observe the electoral process.

Talking about the experience, Indonesia Election Commissioner Idham Holik described it as “very inspiring”. “Everyone could see that the elections were free and fair. India is truly a land of democracy,” he said.

India has used EVMs in elections for decades, with the machines being deployed across all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies for the first time in the 2004 general elections.

Indonesia joins a growing list of countries that have sought India’s expertise in election technology. Bhutan was the first to adopt customised Indian EVMs with technical support, while Nepal received customised machines for pilot use. Namibia became the first country to commercially adopt Indian-made EVMs and later introduced Indian VVPAT units in its electoral process.