Cyprus Lowers Voting Age to 17

The Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus has approved a constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 17. The change will take effect in July 2027 and will be implemented for the first time in the 2028 presidential elections.

Under the new law, 17-year-olds will be able to register on the electoral roll and cast their vote in national elections—a right previously reserved only for citizens aged 18 and over.

The original government proposal aimed to introduce the lower voting age in time for the 2026 parliamentary elections. However, lawmakers revised the timeline, deciding that the new rule will officially come into force on July 1, 2027.

This reform is part of a broader initiative to modernize Cyprus’s electoral system. Other measures include the automatic registration of voters in the permanent electoral register.

All Cypriot citizens included in the permanent register can vote in national elections. Legal residents who are not Cypriot citizens are listed in separate electoral rolls.

According to data submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs, if the new regulation were to take effect immediately, an estimated 92,129 Cypriot citizens aged 17 would become eligible for voter registration.