After US President Donald Trump referred to the Indian electoral system while demanding strict voter identification rules in the US and implementation of the 'SAVE America Act', an important reaction has come from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India. The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday clarified that the “trustworthiness and robustness” of India's electoral system is well established across the world and is widely recognized and respected globally.
In fact, US President Donald Trump, while sharing a post on the social media platform, had advocated strict electoral reforms in America. Citing India's previous general elections, Trump had praised India's voting system, the huge number of voters and the requirement of a valid photo identity card. He also referred to statements by India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier this month on the transparency of the election system. In support of his demand, Trump was citing examples of countries like India and Brazil, which follow biometric databases and strict identification rules.
During a regular media briefing held in New Delhi, when External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked to react to these statements of the US President, he refused to make any direct political comment. However, he emphasized that the credibility and robustness of India's democratic and electoral process needs no introduction and is a globally established fact. The scale and transparency with which elections are conducted in India is an example of the entire world.
On the other hand, there is a debate in the US regarding the 'SAVE America Act', which aims to ensure that only US citizens can vote in federal elections. Under this law, a provision to present solid proof of citizenship and valid identity card at the time of voter registration is proposed. To strengthen election security in America, the systems of other countries are being studied, in which India's strong and systematic electoral structure has been at the center of discussion. You can see the official website of the Election Commission of India, through which these processes have always been an example for global democracy. After this entire incident, the discussion about the strength of Indian election management is once again gaining momentum at the international level.