On 16th February, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), United States, published a post on X announcing a list of funding initiatives that were recently stopped or cancelled. In the list, one particular funding allocation raised eyebrows in India. According to DOGE’s post, $486 million was given to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), which included $21 million for ‘voter turnout’ in India—equivalent to Rs 182 crores as per today’s USD to INR value.
US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025
– $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
– $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
– $2.3M for "strengthening…
What is CEPPS?
Established in 1995, according to CEPPS’s About Us page (now pulled down), it is a coalition of nonprofit, nonpartisan, and nongovernmental organisations dedicated to promoting democratic institutions and governance worldwide. The organisation claims to bring together the expertise of three leading international organisations: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). These three serve as fronts through which CEPPS operates in different countries.
It further claims to support democratic development by collaborating with political parties, election management bodies, parliaments, civil society groups, and democracy activists. The organisation has been active in over 140 countries and provides extensive democracy, rights, and governance (DRG) programming, often partnering with USAID and other donors to deliver large-scale initiatives tailored to diverse political landscapes.
CEPPS is primarily funded by USAID. It also receives support from other international donors to carry out its mission worldwide. Over the years, CEPPS claims to have facilitated election monitoring, civic engagement, and institutional development, reinforcing democratic norms in regions spanning Asia, Africa, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Notably, during our research, we noticed that CEPPS has received over $2 billion in funding from USAID since its inception.
Interestingly, CEPPS’s website is no longer functional. An organisation that received millions of dollars in funding from USAID and has been active since 1995 pulled down its website after 23rd January 2025. We mention 23rd January because it was the last time CEPPS’s website was archived on archive.org.
How CEPPS interferes in elections worldwide
We accessed a document titled Review of the Fiscal Year 2024 United States Agency for International Development Budget, dated 26th April 2023, which categorically mentioned that USAID has paid $2 billion in funding to CEPPS for Elections and Political Processes (EPP) programmes. Interestingly, CEPPS received 66% of USAID EPP funding in the Financial Year 2021. Furthermore, information gathered about Democratic Elections and Political Processes sheds more light on how billions of dollars have been used to directly interfere in elections worldwide under the guise of providing support to strengthen democracy.
With just a glance at these documents, it is evident that while CEPPS presents itself as an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy, its actual role raises serious concerns about foreign interference in elections. CEPPS is primarily funded by USAID, which is part of the US government. CEPPS has received over $2 billion since 1995 to work on election-related projects across more than 140 countries. This level of funding and influence suggests that CEPPS is not just an observer of democratic processes but an active player in shaping them.
One of the biggest red flags is that CEPPS does not just assist election commissions. It clearly states that it directly engages with political parties, civil society groups, and even election monitoring bodies. This means it has the ability to influence political dynamics in the countries where it operates. The Democratic Elections and Political Processes (DEPP) programme, under which CEPPS works, is structured in a way that allows the US to provide funding and support to selected groups, potentially tilting election outcomes in their favour, if required.
Additionally, a 2019 USAID Inspector General report pointed out that relying on one organisation like CEPPS for political party assistance exposes USAID to major risks, including loss of credibility and allegations of foreign interference. Despite this warning, CEPPS continued to receive a dominant share of USAID’s funding, with 66% of USAID’s election-related budget in 2021 alone going to this single entity. This shows a clear pattern of funnelling massive resources to a small group of US-backed organisations that influence elections globally.
CEPPS presence in India
As mentioned above, CEPPS operates via three fronts: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). To make it evident that USAID has had a significant financial influence in Indian elections for years, it should be noted that CEPPS spent $318,614 in India in FY 2018, as clearly stated in its audit report.
CEPPS’s funding in India came through IFES.
Now comes the shocking part. IFES, which signed an MoU with the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 2012 under then-Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, is not just funded by USAID but also by several private entities with questionable motives.
In May 2012, the Election Commission of India (ECI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in New Delhi to develop and strengthen democratic institutions and electoral processes. According to the then-issued press release, the MoU aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange, joint training programmes, research, and capacity-building initiatives through ECI’s India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). The agreement was signed by SY Quraishi, the then Chief Election Commissioner of India, and William Sweeney, President and CEO of IFES.
Considering the fact that IFES is heavily funded by USAID via CEPPS, other sources of its funding also need to be scrutinised. According to IFES’s “Our Partners & Donors” section, the Election Commission of India itself is listed as a funder alongside major public entities like USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and Australian Aid.
However, the real concern arises with IFES’s private funders, which include Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Open Society Foundations (OSF). Notably, OSF is owned by George Soros, a figure widely accused of funding anti-India activities. The fact that an organisation receiving funding from Soros has had a formal agreement with the Election Commission of India raises serious concerns about the extent of foreign influence over India’s electoral processes. This makes it imperative to question IFES’s real role and motives in India and how deeply it has interfered in Indian elections under the guise of collaboration.
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) partnership with IFES did not end with the 2012 MoU—it continued under IIIDEM (India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management) and International Idea, a global intergovernmental organisation. IIIDEM, an ECI-established body, was founded in 2011—the same time when SY Quraishi signed the MoU with IFES. It is important to note that ECI is an autonomous body. This means that while the Government of India is not directly working with IFES, it is engaging with IIIDEM.
OpIndia is still investigating USAID’s possible role in election interference via CEPPS. As more information emerges, additional reports will follow.
