The Voting Age in Cyprus May be Lowered to 17

Political parties and the government of the Republic of Cyprus have reached an agreement to reduce the voting age in Cyprus from 18 to 17.

During a meeting on Thursday, the Committee on Internal Affairs of the House of Representatives discussed the measure proposed by the DISY party member Averof Neophytou. The proposed bill is under discussion in the parliament and must later be approved by the plenary, as it will require amendments to the Constitution.

According to the initiator of the proposal, Cyprus should follow the example of other European countries: there is consensus between political parties and the government regarding the initiative to grant 17-year-olds the right to vote.

On behalf of the Ministry of Interior, the head of the Electoral Service, Menelaos Vasilou, stated that the main issue at this stage is the short period of time between the proposal submission and the elections in June next year. It is noted that if approved, the new age limit will come into effect in May 2026.

In the event of approval of the amendments, the new limit will grant voting rights to an additional 8,680 Greek Cypriots and 78 Turkish Cypriots with registered addresses in government-controlled areas to participate in parliamentary elections. Additionally, 746 Turkish Cypriots will gain the right to vote in European elections.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee, Aristos Damianou, stated that there is indeed a trend in Europe to lower the age threshold for exercising the right to vote.