Rana Sanaullah says proposal to raise voting age under consideration

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said a proposal to increase the voting age is being considered as discussions continue over a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment.

Speaking on Geo News programme Jirga, the PML-N senator referred to the current age requirement for contesting elections and said, “A person cannot contest an election until the age of 25 then […] if that is the case, the age for contesting elections should also be reduced to 18,” while discussing the issue.

Under existing election laws, a Pakistani citizen may be registered as a voter if they are at least 18 years old on January 1 of the year in which electoral rolls are prepared or revised. The law also requires that the individual be, or be treated as, a resident of the relevant electoral area for voter registration there.

Sanaullah said deliberations linked to the possible 28th Constitutional Amendment cover a range of governance and policy matters. According to him, these include the distribution of resources under the National Finance Commission (NFC), population control measures and the construction of new water reservoirs.

He said the government would not proceed with the 28th Amendment without consensus among all stakeholders. He also said it was not essential to alter the NFC formula, suggesting that defence spending could be handled separately from the current resource-sharing arrangement.

The adviser added that consultations on these issues have been underway and would continue as part of wider constitutional and policy discussions.

His remarks came amid increasing political debate over reports of discussions on a possible constitutional amendment before Eid ul Adha, which is expected to fall on May 27. Concerns have also been raised that such a move could reverse the 18th Amendment.

The 18th Amendment was passed in 2010 during the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government and has remained the subject of repeated debate, including calls for changes. The PPP, however, has strongly opposed such proposals and has pledged to resist any attempt to alter the amendment.

The amendment transferred powers to the provinces in areas including health, women’s development, social welfare and local government.

Federal ministers have rejected the impression that an amendment process is currently advancing in a way that would bypass political agreement. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said any constitutional amendment would move ahead only through consensus and added that there were presently no indications of a 28th Amendment.

His statement is in line with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks dismissing any immediate negotiations on the matter. Addressing the PPP parliamentary party meeting on Thursday, Bilawal said, “No talks have taken place yet on the 28th Amendment; [but] I do not know about tomorrow”.