Swiss parliament throws out right to vote at 16
Swiss 16- and 17-year-olds will not be able to vote and stand for election at national level in the near future.
On Wednesday, after years of dispute, the House of Representatives definitively buried a proposal to introduce the right to vote from the age of 16.
By 106 votes to 84, the House of Representatives decided to remove from the register of business a parliamentary initiative from Sibel Arslan on the voting age of 16.
As recently as June 2023, the House of Representatives had spoken out in favour of drafting a bill – by 98 votes to 93. In its new composition following October’s federal elections, a centre-right majority has now prevailed.
+ It’s time to let 16- and 17-year-olds vote
+ Are 16-year-olds mature enough to vote? No.
The House of Representatives had previously voted in favour of the voting age of 16 three times, while its political institutions committee had voted against it each time.
Arslan wanted to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in national elections and referendums. However, they should be denied the right to stand for election.
Parliamentarian Piero Marchesi had argued on behalf of the committee that introducing the right to vote at 16 would conflict with the civil and criminal rights and duties of Swiss citizens from the age of 18. He added that it was problematic to define different ages for the right to vote and the right to stand for election.
Young people were the ones most affected by the decisions taken today, countered Nadine Masshardt. They are ready to participate in political life as long as they are allowed to do so, she said.
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