Cabinet approves bill to lower voting age to 17

Cabinet on Wednesday approved a bill which will reduce Cyprus’ voting age from 18 to 17, while also approving a bill which will mean people will now be automatically registered to vote upon reaching the minimum age required.

The government said the decision was aimed at “contributing to the promotion and consolidation of the culture of democracy in the new generation”, while also allowing for the right to vote to be “exercised more broadly”.

Both bills will be submitted to parliament for ratification in due course.

The decision to lower the voting age comes after months of discussions, with the House interior committee having discussed the matter in March.

In lowering its voting age from 18 to 17, Cyprus brings its legislation into line with that of Greece, which lowered its own voting age in 2016.

The Greek government of the day, led by left-wing party Syriza, said they hoped the move would “sharpen democratic reflexes” among the country’s youth.

“Our proposal not only addresses an historical demand to boost democracy. It also satisfies a contemporary demand of Greek people’s majority for our political system to be reformed and rejuvenated,” then-Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at the time.

The move was welcomed by the European Youth Forum, with then-president Johana Nyman saying, “engaging young people in politics will empower 17-year-olds and is a step towards young peoples having access to their rights”.

However, then-opposition leader and current Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move was aimed at “cheating” young people.

“Since the prime minister wants to give additional rights to minors, is he ready to give them the obligations of an adult?” he asked.

“In a few countries, of which most are dictatorships, people vote at 17,” he added. However, he has now been in power for over five years and has not yet reversed the decision.