It is not the first time he has said it, but he has done it in Parliament. Specifically, in the Senate. The Minister of Children and Youth, Sira Rego, yesterday showed her support for extending the vote to those under 16 and 17 years of age if they want it. The idea is that it would be a reality in the next general elections.
From the department headed by Rego, they remember that in Spain, young people are criminally responsible from the age of 14. When they turn 16 they can work, get married, become emancipated, have sexual relations, have an abortion, drive some vehicles, use weapons, undergo surgical operations… “But they can’t vote,” they argue.
A refusal that has no explanation, especially when it is allowed in other countries. And they recalled from Youth, in this regard, that in Europe there are countries in which 16-year-olds will already be able to vote in the European elections next June, such as Belgium, Malta, Austria, Greece, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia , Hungary, Germany… “Some of these countries even allow voting at 16 years of age in other types of elections,” they point out.
In Rego’s opinion, expanding the vote to people aged 16 and 17 means fully recognizing “their political rights. An expansion of rights broadens democracy.” Sources from his ministry insist that the arguments for rejecting the vote at 16 years are similar to those used in the past to oppose women’s suffrage: fear that they will vote “wrongly.”
For all this, Minister Rego committed to the Senate Youth Commission, where she went to explain the general lines of her department for this legislature, to “support” the vote of minors if they request it.
But how can young people ask for it? Through current youth organizations, such as the Youth Council. But it is not enough, as recognized by Rego, who demands “the incorporation of youth participation in the design of public policies, in the design of our country.” In this sense, the minister recalled the commitment of the Ministry of Youth and Children to promote the first Youth Law in Spain “in a participatory manner and with the involvement of young people.”
Sira Rego opens a debate that, on previous occasions, has not prospered. Although it is true that whoever now takes a position on the matter is part of the Government team. But the PSOE does not seem to be in favor of reforming the electoral law.
In 2022, Esquerra Republicana presented an initiative to extend the voting age, which Unidas Podemos and other left-wing parties supported, but the socialists voted against it, claiming precisely that this required reforming the General Electoral Law and, since it was done, A broader reform of the norm would be advisable within a specific subcommittee created in Congress.
Last December, the Galician Nationalist Bloc brought up the issue again in the regional parliament. He had no support.
Minister Rego opened the debate in the Senate, although neither party picked up the gauntlet and asked or expressed their opinions on allowing young people from 16 years of age. From Youth, however, they assure that they will continue to repeat the proposal over and over again. Because, in their opinion, it is unacceptable that they are suitable for many things and not for choosing the world they want.
