On 3 May, the National Council held a special session in the Federal Palace in Bern. Along with other members of the “Voting age to 16” alliance, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein used the session as an opportunity to lobby for the voting age to be lowered to 16.
Back in 2019, National Councilor Sibel Arslan launched parliamentary initiative 19.415 with the aim of redcuing the voting age to 16. REMOVE SENTENCE Although the initiative was approved by the National Council in both 2020 and 2022, in March 2023 the National Council’s Political Institutions Committee (PIC-N) decided by 14 votes to 11 not to adopt the decision and to end the legislative process. Although a majority of the committee’s members oppose the initiative, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein continues to advocate for a voting age of 16 as a member of the “Voting age to 16” alliance. In addition to UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein, this alliance is made up of a large number of civil society organizations including Pro Juventute, the SNYC, Child Protection Switzerland and the Swiss Scout Movement.
On Wednesday, 3 May, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein joined young people and other member organizations of the alliance in front of the Federal Palace in Bern to raise awareness of the initiative on lowering the voting age to 16. Fliers containing key arguments about the initiative were distributed not only to the public but also to councilors attending the special session. At the invitation of National Councilor Samira Marti, the campaign participants then gathered in the lobby of the Federal Palace, where they held face-to-face discussions with National Councilors Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, Tuena Mauro and Natalie Imboden on the logic behind lowering the voting age.
Despite the PIC-N recommendation to give up on the initiative, the lowering of the voting age will be included in the summer session and discussed again in the National Council on June 7, 2023. With this in mind, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein continues to work with the other members of the alliance to strengthen the opportunities for political participation among young people aged 16 and over by securing them active voting rights.
