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Muslim youth, the reluctant kingmakers in Malaysia's general election
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Young voters at the Melaka state election last year. The challenge for political actors is to give such voters a reason to cast their ballots.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
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KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's coming general election will be a first for millions of young voters benefiting from a 2019 constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
The cohort who will be eligible to vote for the first time - aged 25 and below - make up about a fifth of the estimated 21 million-strong electorate. Crucially, most of them will be Muslims, a demographic that makes up the majority in two-thirds of constituencies.
