This is to announce the Election Process 2026 for the leadership position of Multistakeholder Steering Group (MSG).
Current leader has served for 1 term and is concluding after APrIGF 2026:
Vice Chair: Mr. Ashirwad Tripathy (2024 – 2026)
Vacant Position:
- Vice Chair of MSG (2027 – 2029)
According to the APrIGF Election Procedure, a call for Election Committee has been opened from 2 July (Thursday) – 9 July (Thursday) 2026. The MSG Leadership Team is now pleased to announce the final members of Election Committee 2026 in below:
- Ms. Elain Dai, China (Academia)
- Ms. Maureen Hilyard, Cook Islands (Civil Society)
- Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Bangladesh (Civil Society)
Eligible Voting Members for 2026
(Please refer to the Election Procedure for the criteria)
- Abdullah MAMUN
- Al MAHMUD
- Alban KWAN
- Amrita CHOUDHURY
- Ananda GAUTAM
- Ashirwad TRIPATHY
- Aysha LABIBA
- Babu Ram ARYAL
- Bea GUEVARRA
- Bibek SILWAL
- Burt LUM
- Charles MOK
- Che-Hoo CHENG
- Cheryl LANGDON-ORR
- Chester SOONG
- Dr. Bhoj Raj GHIMIRE
- Edmon CHUNG
- Elain DAI
- Faiz MARIKAR
- Gunela ASTBRINK
- Hamna NOOR
- Hiro HOTTA
- Hsuping TANG
- Iqbal AHMED
- Jin TANAKA
- Joyce CHEN
- K Mohan RAIDU
- Kasun Tharaka WICKRAMASURIYA
- Khundkar Ayesha SHAHRIYAR
- Khundkar Hasan SHAHRIYAR
- Lennon CHANG
- Lidya Bety BARRETO SOARES FATIMA
- Maryam RASHEED
- Md Saimum Reza TALUKDER
- Md. Parvez ALAM
- Mohammad Abdul HAQUE
- Muhammad SHABBIR
- Muhammed Abdullah Al MAMUN
- Munir AHMED
- Nancy KANASA
- Nirosha WEDASINGHE (DR)
- Pavitra RAMANUJAM
- Pranav BHASKAR TIWARI
- Preeti KAMRA
- Priyatosh JANA
- Razoana MOSLAM
- Riad Hasan BADSHA
- Rishabh SINGH
- Sadichchha SILWAL
- Saima NISAR
- Sameer GAHLOT
- Satish BABU
- Sayda Kamrun Jahan RIPA
- Shah Zahidur RAHMAN
- Shamima AKHTER
- Shankar Kumar MONDOL
- Shin YAMASAKI
- Shreedeep RAYAMAJHI
- Sudha Bhuvaneswari N
- Sunny CHENDI
- Swaran RAVINDRA
- Syed Sultan KAZI
- Tahmina Akter SUPTI
- Umera Asmat RANA
- Unggul SAGENA
- Waqas HASSAN
2026 Election Timeline
Timeline
| 2 Jul – 9 Jul | Open Call for Election Committee |
| 14 Jul (Tue) | Appointment of the Election Committee |
| 22 Jul (Wed) | Announcement online and notification to ACTIVE MSG VOTING MEMBERS of their eligibility to vote (as per Election Rules and Procedure) |
| 28 Jul (Tue) | Nomination period opens |
| 18 Aug (Tue) | Announce final shortlisted candidates (nominees) to MSG members |
| 24 Aug, 00:00 UTC | Voting period opens |
| 31 Aug, 23:59 UTC | Voting period closes |
| 1 Sept (Tue) | Counting votes |
| 2 Sept (Wed) | Announcement of the Final Election Result |
Eligibility of Candidates
Candidates for leadership (Chair or Vice-Chair) in any election year are open to every MSG member as well as non-MSG members. However, it is desirable that all candidates possess the following qualifications.
- Must work and reside in the Asia Pacific region.
- Represent one of the listed stakeholders in Part 4 of Section 1 Operating Principles of APrIGF MSG (but not limited to the list).
- Volunteers who have been active in the APrIGF activities and the Internet Governance space.
- MSG members with leadership potential, who have demonstrated long term commitment to the MSG’s goals.
- In the event of conflict of interest, MSG member must declare their status at the earliest to the MSG Chair and the whole MSG as an act of good faith.
Term of Office
- The term of office for each position is two event cycles.
- All leadership positions will not exceed two consecutive terms (or four years duration).
- Returning leaders may choose to run for election again after one cycle (or two years) has elapsed since the last date of tenure (most recent ending term date) confirmed by the Secretariat.
Nomination Method:
Nominations of candidates should be made by submitting the name, organisation, stakeholder group, a short bio, email address AND a letter stating the acceptance of the nomination of the candidate to election[at]aprigf.asia ONLY before the nomination period closes. Self-nominations will also be accepted.
More information about the Operating Principles and Election Procedure of APrIGF MSG, please visit https://aprigf.asia/msg/.
Secretariat of APrIGF
