Bangladesh Voter Age Controversy: BNP Criticizes Chief Adviser’s Proposal

Dhaka, December 28, 2024 – BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has voiced strong opposition to the Chief Adviser’s suggestion to lower the voting age from 18 to 17, claiming it could lead to unnecessary delays in the election process.
Speaking at a discussion hosted by a faction of the Jatiya Gonotantrik Party (Jagpa) at the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday, Fakhrul criticized the proposal by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus. “Prof. Yunus has suggested that the minimum age for becoming voters should be 17. This would necessitate the preparation of a new voter list,” he remarked, highlighting the potential disruption this could cause.
Fakhrul pointed out the lack of consensus on this issue, suggesting that the proposal by the Chief Adviser could lead to public concern about further postponements. “Now, people will fear that even more time will be wasted in preparing the voter list,” he stated, adding that there is a perception, not shared by him, that the government might be deliberately delaying the elections.
He argued that the Chief Adviser’s comments could unduly influence the Election Commission. “When you, as the Chief Executive, advocate for 17 years, it becomes binding on the Election Commission,” Fakhrul explained, emphasizing that the decision should have been left to the Election Commission after consultations with political parties.
The BNP leader insisted that the current voting age of 18 is widely accepted and should not be altered without thorough discussion. “If there’s a need to reduce it by one year, let the new Election Commission propose it and discuss with the political parties,” he suggested, indicating that the way the issue was raised by Prof. Yunus had unnecessarily sparked controversy.
Fakhrul concluded by stating that had the Chief Adviser consulted with stakeholders first, the debate over the voting age might have been avoided.
This criticism comes in response to Prof. Muhammad Yunus’s remarks made the day before, where he advocated for lowering the voting age to 17 to allow youth to have a say in their future. “To give their opinion on their own future, I think the voting age for them should be fixed at 17 years,” Yunus stated in a video message during a dialogue arranged by the Forum for Bangladesh Studies.