The proposer of the motion, Progressives MP Ervīns Labanovskis, told the commission that for years it has been said that the public is less involved in public processes and that the number of people going out to vote is falling.
Labanovskis, referring to surveys, stressed that at the same time, only a small percentage of young people feel listened to by the municipality. "Democracy has to be learned, the municipality would be the level where this could start," said Labanovskis.
He also pointed out that from the age of 16, one can vote in municipal elections in Estonia, and "there has been no disaster".
Elīza Loja of the Latvian Youth Council said that such a proposal should be supported, as examples from other countries show that in countries where young people can vote in municipal elections from the age of 16, young people's interest in politics has increased, and issues that are important to young people are more highlighted in such countries.
However, the Committee rejected the proposal to allow voting from the age of 16 in municipal elections, as the Constitution states, among other things, that municipalities are elected by full citizens of Latvia.
