Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said he would support lowering the country’s voting age from 18 to 16 as part of the government’s ongoing constitutional reform process, arguing that today’s teenagers are informed enough to participate in shaping the country’s future.
The proposal was announced in a Facebook post on Saturday, where Magyar said he believed “the overwhelming majority of people under 18 are sufficiently prepared and informed to have a say in our common decisions.”
“For my part, during the constitutional drafting process, I would support reducing the voting age to 16,” the prime minister wrote.
Constitutional reform underway
Magyar linked the proposal to the broader constitutional overhaul launched by his government following April’s general election.
He said he was pleased to see what he described as the revival of Hungarian parliamentary democracy after years in which, according to him, parliament had been deliberately weakened under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Reflecting on his childhood, Magyar recalled watching parliamentary debates with his grandmother in the early 1990s after school and sports practice, saying those memories helped shape his appreciation for democratic institutions.
Criticism of previous leadership
The prime minister also criticised Hungary’s previous leadership, saying he hoped that only people genuinely committed to serving the country would hold high public office. In a pointed remark aimed at former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and current President Tamás Sulyok, Magyar wrote:
“Just because a clown enters a palace, it does not become a king: but the palace can become a circus.”
Election law reforms expected
The proposal comes as the government prepares a broader overhaul of Hungary’s electoral system. Earlier this week, Márton Melléthei-Barna, deputy leader of the ruling Tisza Party’s parliamentary group, said one of the government’s first priorities after adopting a new constitution (and likely securing its approval through a referendum) would be introducing a new electoral law.
According to him, the new legislation could be adopted within the next 18 to 24 months.
Magyar says young people are more engaged than ever
In his post, the prime minister also argued that public interest in politics has grown significantly since the change of government.
“I am proud that never before have so many people followed parliamentary sessions and taken an interest in public life,” he wrote, adding that politics had become “sexy” again and that young people increasingly felt they had a voice in shaping Hungary’s future.
He also said that the 12-year term limit for MPs, introduced under the recently adopted 17th constitutional amendment, could help restore higher standards in Hungarian public life by encouraging political renewal.
What this means for young Hungarians
If the proposal is ultimately adopted, Hungary would join a small but growing group of countries that allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in at least some elections. However, the change is still only a proposal and would need to be incorporated into the new constitution and related electoral legislation before taking effect.
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Being “engaged” does not mean having the maturity, experience, and brain power to make sound decisions. The brain doesn’t stop developing until well into one’s 20s so, if anything, the voting age should be INcreased. Indeed, many would say that it should also be limited only to those who contribute to the society and, in particular, who fund the government. After all, government exists by virtue of the taxpayers.
It would be absurd that you can’t buy a can of beer or pack of smokes, or get married, until 18 but you would be able to play a role in deciding the future of an entire country. (Not that voting changes a whole lot in most places, given the UniParty stranglehold on politics.)
But anyway, we all know why St. Peti wants this to happen. Immature kids indoctrinated by activist “teachers” tend to be leftie. He thinks that his “cool” factor would go down well “with the kids” and cement Tisza’s dominance; he doesn’t realize that those kids will vote for the socialist lunatics rather than Tisza.
I agree, Dear Michael.
Most European Countries vote at 18.
Germany,Belgium and Austria vote at 16.
Just out of curiosity :
is anywhere a maximum voting age ?
The idea of a maximum voting age immediately came to mind for me as an abstract idea. Let’s face it. Cognitive skills decline with age and dementia is an issue. Fidesz put a maximum age of 62 for judges. What was the reason for that? It was restored this year to age 70 but what Fidesz did was remove a number of judges by lowering the age and then replace them with party loyal cronies. We are now faced with Fidesz stacked courts including the Constitutional Court that may be a real obstacle to reforms and prosecution for crimes committed by the former government. Sorry I went on a bit of a tangent here.
Good tangents, Dear Larry.
Austria lowered voting age to 16 in 2007. The UK is set to lower it to age 16 in 2029. Malta uses age 16. Germany and Belgium allow age 16 for votes but not in national elections. A number of other countries have voting age beginning at age 16 including Brazil, Argentina and Equador. It’s an interesting idea. The criticism is that voters need a higher level of maturity but at the same time lowering the age limit encourages civic engagement of younger people which is positive. Many 16 and 17 year olds may have a higher level of maturity and knowledge of the world around them than the retired Neanderthals that lived their lives watching Fidesz TV.
I know of no 16 or 17 year olds who have enough judgement or political/historical knowledge to vote. No one should vote who has not lived away from his parents at least several years. That said, I do agree that people over age 60 are dangerously brainwashed and out of touch – especially in my country.