The Cabinet of Ministers on January 22 lowered the age at which Cypriot citizens can vote to 17 years. The government also approved other amendments to bills regulating the electoral process.
In his opening remarks, President Nikos Christodoulides said it was a "historic day" for Cyprus as the government changes the law to enfranchise seventeen-year-olds.
President's speech about this reform
“We trust our young men and women and want them to participate in government decision-making, have a voice and play an important role in political life,” the head of state said, noting that the move was a continuation of his government’s key youth engagement policy into civilian life. The President expressed hope that the package of 13 amendments will be adopted by parliament as soon as possible.
Voting age in the EU and worldwide
The minimum voting age varies across the EU. The lowest – 16 years – is in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Malta. In Greece, seventeen-year-old citizens can vote. In all other EU countries the minimum voting age is 18 years. In the vast majority of countries in the world, including the USA, Russia, Great Britain, India and China, this is 18 years. In the UAE, the highest age limit is 25 years.
Reform goals and simplification of procedures
According to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, the new measures are aimed at simplifying and modernizing electoral procedures and are being implemented in accordance with the plan announced by the president in January last year. It is expected that this will contribute to more active participation of citizens, especially young people, in elections at all levels.
New identification rules
The Cabinet of Ministers also opened the way to automatic registration of citizens, canceled election books for new voters (previously issued remain valid) and instead approved identification by ID card or driver's license (including electronic versions of these documents).
Measures against vote fraud
The new measures also aim to combat vote fraud through invalid addresses. It is now prohibited to apply for a change earlier than a year before local elections, except in cases of registration of new voters.
During local government elections, the Electoral Committee is often faced with a situation where residents who actually live in another administrative unit vote at their previous address. By law, local authorities are elected only by residents of each specific municipality or village council.
Implementation deadlines
The package of amendments will be presented to parliament for discussion and voting. The changes, if approved, will come into force by the 2026 parliamentary elections.
The text was prepared based on materials from Cyprus Mail.
