THE opposition will fully support the government’s bill to lower the voting age to 18 as it now includes automatic voter registration and provisions on election candidates’ eligibility.

The support is based on Putrajaya’s agreement to include the conditions in a new bill to be tabled tomorrow, said opposition leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“As a representative of the opposition bloc, I thank Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who received the suggestions from the opposition.

“It was agreed that not only shall the voting age be lowered to 18, but there will also be automatic voter registration, and the minimum age for election candidates (for parliamentary seats) will be lowered to 18 as well,” he told reporters after a briefing given by Dr Mahathir to opposition MPs today.

Ismail Sabri added that PAS has promised support for the revised bill.

The bill, which calls for constitutional amendments, will need the support of at least two-thirds of lawmakers. Pakatan Harapan and its Sabah allies are nine short of the 148 votes required.

After his briefing to opposition MPs, Dr Mahathir said a fresh bill will be introduced, as the one tabled last week did not take into account automatic voter registration and lowering the minimum age for polls candidates. – July 10, 2019.