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The Economic and Social Council proposes the right to vote from the age of 16

2022-03-09T19:10:30.539Z


The Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) spoke out on Wednesday March 9 for a lowering of the right to vote at the age of 16, in a...


The Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) spoke out on Wednesday March 9 for a lowering of the right to vote at the age of 16, in an opinion entitled "

Engagement and democratic participation of young people

", where it "

sounds the 'alarm

' in the face of the abstention of young people.

Read alsoVoting at 16 rejected by the executive

This opinion was approved in plenary assembly by 137 votes for and 23 abstentions out of 160 voters.

The Agriculture, Crafts and Liberal Professions, Cooperation, Businesses, Families groups expressed their reservations about a lowering of the electoral majority, considering it necessary "

to engage in in-depth expertise of the sociological and electoral impact

" of the measure.

The idea is defended in the context of the presidential election by Yannick Jadot (EELV) and Anne Hidalgo (PS).

Within the majority, it never found much echo.

Recalling that "

more than fifteen States or autonomous entities

" have established the right to vote at 16 years of age, the opinion stresses that "

more than a simple possibility of voting or a measure intended to increase participation is about a profound vision of empowerment and confidence in young people, in order to include them and make them full citizens

”.

Read also Presidential: would the right to vote at 16 help fight against abstention?

A “disincentive” effect

The opinion makes 20 other recommendations.

The 12th proposes granting 18-year-olds the same rights and assistance as their elders, whereas today they must wait until they are 25 to receive the RSA.

Here again, the Agriculture, Crafts and Liberal Professions, Cooperation, Businesses, Families groups disagreed, stressing that its effect on electoral participation "

has not been demonstrated

" and that it could have a "

disincentive effect for young people to engage in apprenticeship training

".

Other proposals: the lowering of the thresholds of signatories allowing the triggering of referendums of shared initiative, the counting of the blank vote in the votes cast, the introduction of a dose of proportional representation in legislative elections, the creation of a status of the elected, the limitation to three of the number of consecutive mandates for parliamentarians or local elected representatives.

The text was drawn up following a referral from Prime Minister Jean Castex in September.

In an unprecedented way, 12 citizens drawn by lot took part in all the working meetings of the members of the Cese involved.

Before the Council, the Secretary of State in charge of Youth and Engagement, Sarah El Haïry, promised that all the recommendations would be "

studied, worked on or even tested

", without hiding that some would not obtain "

the endorsement by the government

.

At the origin of this referral, the observation of a record abstention rate among 18-24 year olds (87% during the first round of the regional and departmental elections of 2021), and a phenomenon of

massive "

mis-registration

" (55% in the 25-29 age group).

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-03-09

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