(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia could have 50% more voters in the next election as it’s set to let those as young as 18 cast their ballots.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad won support from opposition lawmakers, getting the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution and lower the voting age to 18, from 21. The bill also allows for automatic voter registration, meaning the next 2023 election could see 22.7 million voters, compared with 14.9 million in last year’s historic polls.
“The government has reviewed the voting age and found that political awareness has risen among the youth in general,” said Mahathir, who turned 94 last week. “We also appreciate the bipartisan action taken for the sake of the country.”
The bill’s approval is a win for Mahathir’s coalition, whose previous attempt to amend the constitution was thwarted by the opposition. This time, the government secured the backing of all 211 lawmakers present at the time, out of the total 222, to fulfill its campaign pledge. The ruling coalition revised the bill to include the opposition’s request for automatic registration and to let 18-year-olds contest for parliamentary seats.
The bill is pending the approval of the senate and the king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, before coming into force.
‘True Kingmakers’
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, 26 and Malaysia’s youngest ever cabinet member, led the motion to lower the voting age. He said last year that younger voters were “the true kingmakers” in the 2018 election that saw the country’s first change of government. About 75% of youths backed Mahathir’s coalition, pollster Merdeka Center estimated in 2018.
Malaysia’s high youth unemployment rate, at 10.8% compared with the national rate of 3.3%, is set to remain a key political issue.
During the debate, opposition lawmakers still sought more clarity on the bill’s impact. That included whether any action would be taken to improve voter education and turnout, and if registered voters would be penalized for not casting their ballot.
(Updates with further context throughout.)
To contact the reporter on this story: Anisah Shukry in Kuala Lumpur at ashukry2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Yudith Ho at yho35@bloomberg.net, Elffie Chew
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.