ZAGREB, September 20, 2019 – The Youth Independent List said on Friday it would put forward a proposal to lower the voting age for local elections to 16, explaining that the change did not require an amendment of the Constitution and that such an option existed in some EU countries.
Addressing a news conference, MP Tomislav Panenić said that the Constitution did not set the age limit for local elections and that this was regulated by laws so his parliamentary group had decided to propose amending the Local Elections Act to enable young people under the age of 16 to participate in decision-making on local policies.
We expect other members of parliament to support our initiative, said Panenić.
MP Ante Pranić said they hoped it would be possible to apply the proposed change at local elections in 2021.
MP Marin Škibola said that young people should be more involved in politics and that they should be given room for direct action.
In Austria, Malta and Greece people under the age of 18 participate in all elections, while young people under 18 in Germany, Scotland and Estonia vote in local elections, Škibola said, adding that the election system in Croatia was so bad that radical changes should be considered.
More news about elections in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
