Updated | Vote16: Parliamentary debate highlights trust in younger generation

In an uncharacteristic break from the norm, Parliament tonight found common ground as the government and opposition agreed on proposed legislation which will grant 16-year-olds the right to vote in the general elections.

In the second reading on the so-called Vote16 bill, parliamentary secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli said the legislation was further proof of the country’s renewal under the Labour administration and would make Malta only the second country in the European Union, after Austria, to allow 16-year-olds to vote.

Representatives of major student organisations packed the visitors’ gallery in the Chamber tonight, in clear support of the legislation.

Farrugia Portelli said that these student groups, who are seldom in agreement, had come together to work towards achieving this common goal.

“On this issue, we are in sync with what the majority of the Maltese people believe,” she said, adding that the public is convinced that young people are mature enough to decide who they would trust with not only the future, but the present. “That’s what this reform concerns -- the present. Politics is not measured by tomorrow, but by today.”

After 16 year olds were given the right to vote in local council elections in 2015, extending this right to national elections is the “next natural step” according to Farrugia Portelli.

“The public gave us a clear mandate, and today we are honouring our word.”

Read more: Malta’s Generation Europe will vote in 2019

16-year-olds already have a number of rights – and with them, obligations – as they can open get married, open a bank account, work and pay taxes, Farrugia Portelli said.

“That is, of course, only if they don’t follow the example set by someone from within the ranks of the opposition,” she said, in a clear dig aimed at opposition leader Adrian Delia. “If you work at 16, you need to pay taxes.”

Therefore, it makes sense for 16-year-olds to also have the right to vote in general and European Parliament elections.

“Whatever the case, we are convinced that young people know what they want from life, and that as they are capable of making decisions about their career and their future, they are capable of choosing which direction the country should take.”

PN Deputy leader David Agius welcomed the proposed legislation, and said that he was among the first to support lowering the voting age back in 2003. “This is one of the nicer moments in politics. Speaking on behalf of the Opposition and a number of students, I second this bill, which has been my wish since the beginning of my political career.”

Malta will be the second EU member state, after Austria, to lower the voting age to 16.

Education minister Evarist Bartolo said that the culture of democracy should be part of everyday life, and that aside from the right to vote for young people, student councils should become obligatory in every primary school. “By law, each student will have a council and each student will have their voice heard.”

But while also speaking of rights, we must also instill a sense of duty, Bartolo said. “It is not a coincidence that progress in the country began as soon as the right to vote began to spread,”

“Progress came about as soon as voting began to be tied to human dignity, rather than gender and social class,” he said, expressing that the inclusion of the 16-year-old vote would reflect positively onto political life.

Welcoming the new legislation, PN whip Robert Cutajar said that this evening’s discussion showed maturity from both sides. “We sincerely wish that this isn’t the only time that we send this message of maturity.”

PL MP Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said that the new law will not only strengthen the voice of young people, but make them part of decision-making in the country. “By voting, young people will have the opportunity to participate in choosing the future of the country.”

16-year-olds are the ‘Facebook generation’, and politics is being discussed on social media, PN MP Herman Schiavone said, adding that the young generation is highly informed. Although he said he is in favour of lowering the voting age to 16, he stressed that it is important not to ignore the opinions against the amendment which the public might hold.

PD MP Godfrey Farrugia said that the right to vote being granted to people who “think differently” – that is, 16 and 17 year olds – will breathe new life into politics and thereby increase the representation of women without the need of quotas, and increase the participation of young people. “The law will help to better the constitution but the constitution is weak, and there is a need to look at it in a manner which reflects a modern society.”