Two bills – one lowering the voting age to 17 and the other introducing automatic voter registration – will be put to a vote in the House plenum on May 22, following their unanimous approval by the House interior committee on Thursday.

If passed, the new legislation will come into effect for the 2028 presidential elections, committee chairman and Akel MP Aristos Damianou explained.

He expressed confidence that the bills would receive broad support in the plenum.
“There are some procedural matters we’ll address beforehand, but for now the committee has concluded its work,” he said.

Outstanding issues still under discussion include horizontal voting, postal voting, and the voting rights of individuals whose mothers are refugees.

Damianou clarified that a constitutional amendment is required to lower the voting age to 17.
“If this is approved, then a second plenum will not be necessary. Everything will be completed on May 22,” he added.