Young Greens call for reduction of age restriction to run for Euro elections

CYPRUS IS one of the three countries in the EU where MEP candidates must be at least 25 years old to be eligible to run for the European Parliament elections, while the minimum age requirement in the majority of EU states is 18.

The Young Greens yesterday voiced their opposition to this requirement, which they called discriminatory and asked for the age limit to be reduced to 21.

“The right to run in elections is severely restricted for the young people of Cyprus. There are many talented young people under 25 who could be included in the ballot for the European Parliament elections.

“We feel that this requirement is anachronistic and backwards and believe that society should trust its youth,’ said Michalis Loizides, General Secretary of the Green Party’s youth group.

The age requirement is 18 in 13 other EU countries, including Germany and Spain, 19 in Austria and 21 in nine countries including the UK.

Cyprus, Greece and Italy are the only EU members where candidates must be at least 25 years old to be eligible for candidacy.

“We believe that this is unfair to the youth of Cyprus. The continuation of this situation is discriminatory. The youth of Cyprus is not less mature or capable of running on the ballot of any party for the coming Euro elections,” said Ivoni Demetriou, Assistant Secretary General of the Young Greens.

Greens deputy George Perdikis has submitted the issue at parliament, calling for the reduction of the minimum age requirement to 21.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.