Voting Age Cut to 17 in S Cyprus

The House plenum voted to amend the constitution, allowing persons of 17 years of age to register on the electoral roll – thus also making them eligible to vote.

It was a government proposal. The government bill had proposed that the new age limit apply as of the next parliamentary elections of 2026 – but MPs subsequently amended the bill and decided instead that the amendment enter into force on July 1, 2027.

This means that the first practical application will take place in the 2028 presidential elections.

Up until now, only people aged 18 and over could vote.

The bill passed is part of a legislative package aimed at modernising electoral law in general, introducing processes for the automatic registration of eligible persons on the permanent electoral roll.

All Cypriot citizens registered on the permanent electoral roll may participate in all national elections.

Persons residing legally here who are not Cypriot citizens are registered onto different electoral rolls.

According to data presented at the House interior affairs committee, which had debated the bill, if the new arrangements were put into force immediately, a total of 92,129 Cypriot citizens aged at least 17 would be eligible for registration on the permanent electoral roll.

Until the new arrangements kick in, the number of such persons eligible comes to 85,235.

In addition, the changes are not expected to alter the distribution of parliamentary party seats per district.

In remarks on the House floor, Akel MP Aristos Damianou cited various issues and concerns debated in committee.

One such matter related to the ability of minors to perform legal acts (voting in this case), the right of school pupils to vote even though student unionism is not permitted, or the fact that civics is not taught at schools.

MPs had also stressed the need for an official drive to inform pupils on issues relating to elections and the related political processes, given that frequently young people shape their opinion from social media.

In a statement after the House passed the act, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou welcomed the development.

He recalled that amending the constitution in this way fulfills the pledge made by President Nikos Christodoulides, then candidate, during the election campaign ahead of the 2023 presidential elections.

“We shall continue the efforts to simplify and modernise the electoral process, with the aim to boost participatory democracy, especially for our young people,” Ioannou said.

“We trust our youth, and we want them to have a more active role and say in the decisions of the state.”

The batch of about a dozen bills relating to electoral reform include such things as doing away with the voting booklet for new voters. Voters will be able to present their ID or drivers’ licence to prove their eligibility to vote, via physical or virtual means, and through the Digital Citizen application.

The voting booklet will continue to be accepted for those already in possession of one.

Source: Cyprus Mail