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Young visitors to the Reichstag dome in 2011
Photo: imago stock & people / IMAGO
During their explorations, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP agreed on a revision of the electoral law: "We want to lower the voting age for the elections to the German Bundestag and European Parliament to 16 years," says the result paper.
Coalition negotiations between the three parties may begin this week.
The traffic light plan is not so well received by the population: More than two thirds of Germans reject lowering the voting age to 16 years.
This was the result of a survey by the opinion research institute Civey for SPIEGEL.
Accordingly, only 28 percent are in favor of such a reduction.
In the past, the Greens and the FDP in particular have campaigned for voting for people aged 16 and over.
The two parties performed best among first-time and young voters in the last federal election.
However, the results of the survey in the younger age group are not as clear-cut as one might think.
Among the 16 to 29 year olds, opponents and supporters of a lowering are balanced.
A majority of 30 to 39 year olds is against it.
The following applies: the older the respondent, the greater the rejection.
There is a limited left-right division among the supporters of the parties: Greens and leftists are in favor of a lowering;
SPD, FDP, Union and AfD are against it.
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