President speaks of "historic day" as Cabinet greenlights right to vote from 17

President Nikos Christodoulides has described 22 January as a "historic day for democracy" in Cyprus, as the Cabinet is set to approve the right to vote from the age of 17.

Addressing the members of the Cabinet at the start of the 22 January meeting, the President said that the day was an important one for the implementation of one of the government’s key priorities, thus strengthening participatory democracy in our country.

The Cabinet also approved the automatic registration on the electoral lists.

President Christodoulides noted that "we trust the youth and want them to participate in state decisions, to have a say and a role."

He recalled that the government already provided the youth with platforms, where they can have a say in all state and Cabinet decisions.

The President expressed hope that the House of Representatives will approve the bill and that it will come into effect in next elections.

He also welcomed the development in a post on his social media including X (see below) and LinkedIn.

In the post on X, Christodoulides says, "Today we are moving forward with the implementation of one of our key priorities to strengthen participatory democracy. We trust our young people and encourage them to participate more actively in political processes and to take greater responsibility for their future and the future of the country. The submission of the proposal to the House of Representatives demonstrates the Government's intention to quickly promote these specific changes, with a view to their implementation in view of the 2026 Parliamentary Elections."

(Sources: CNA/X)

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