Malaysia lowers voting age to 18: New voters a high-risk gamble for Pakatan Harapan

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says the total number of voters will swell by 50 per cent from the 2018 polls, to nearly 22.7 million in 2023. PHOTO: BERNAMA
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KUALA LUMPUR - Pakatan Harapan fulfilled one of its key election pledges and proved its reformist credentials on Tuesday (July 16) when Malaysia's lawmakers agreed to lower the voting age from 21 to 18.

This historic move, however, was supported en masse in Parliament by the opposition, including former ruling party Umno, which had ignored calls to do the same before it ceded its six-decade grip on power to PH in May 2018.

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