Parliament approves significant electoral reforms, including the lowering of the voting age to 17

The House Plenum has unanimously passed a series of bills and legislative proposals introducing significant changes to the country’s electoral system, aimed at broadening participation and modernising election laws.

The reform package includes, among other measures, the lowering of the voting age to 17, automatic voter registration, and the abolition of the traditional electoral booklet. These changes will be fully implemented in time for the 2028 presidential elections.

Described as one of the most extensive overhauls of Cyprus’s electoral framework in decades, the reforms passed on Thursday, 29 May focus on increasing democratic engagement—particularly among young people—while enhancing transparency and making the voting process more accessible.

President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides welcomed the passing of the bill on automatic voter registration, describing this as a “historic day for Cyprus.”

In a post on "X" platform, President Christodoulides said that “this is an important reform that ensures the unhindered participation of citizens in the country’s democratic processes.”

Key reforms include lowering the minimum voting age from 18 to 17 years old, automatic voter registration based on data from the population registry, replacing the electoral booklet with accepted forms of ID, such as a national identity card or driver's license, and clearing the electoral roll of individuals over 100 years old who lack a valid ID or pension record, unless their death has been officially registered.

The new legal framework will apply across all types of elections, including presidential, parliamentary, European, local government, referenda, elections of representatives of religious groups and the participation of EU citizens and Turkish Cypriots residing in government-controlled areas.

While most provisions stem from government bills, additional amendments proposed by MPs and political parties were also adopted.

Accessibility and transparency provisions

The Parliament also unanimously approved several related legislative proposals submitted by the parliamentary group of the left-wing party AKEL. These concern the allocation of parliamentary seats, party financing transparency, accessibility for persons with disabilities, and correction procedures for nomination errors.

According to the changes, seat distribution in electoral districts will now be based on updated electoral rolls, including entries registered as of October 2 of the year preceding the election.

The deadline for political parties to submit their campaign financial reports is also extended to four months.

The changes include also new provisions promoting independent voting by persons with disabilities through the use of assistive technology and equipment.

Candidates will now have the opportunity to correct nomination errors if objections are found valid, to prevent disqualifications due to minor mistakes.

During the plenary session, MPs emphasized the importance of these reforms, highlighting both their technical and institutional significance. Lawmakers described the changes as a step forward for participatory democracy and greater electoral transparency.

However, they also stressed the need for accompanying reforms, particularly in the education sector, to strengthen the political awareness of young people. Concerns were also raised about linking electoral rights to the legal age of adulthood, while it was noted that additional electoral regulations are still pending in the parliament.

(Source: CNA)