Rana Sanaullah says proposal to lower election contest age under consideration

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday said a proposal to reduce the age for contesting elections was under consideration as political debate intensified over a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment.

Speaking on Geo News programme “Jirga”, the PML-N leader said if citizens are allowed to vote at the age of 18, then the age limit for contesting elections should also be reconsidered.

“A person cannot contest an election until the age of 25 then […] if that is the case, the age for contesting elections should also be reduced to 18,” he said.

Under existing election laws, Pakistani citizens aged 18 or above can be registered as voters provided they meet residency requirements in the relevant electoral area.

During the programme, Sanaullah said discussions linked to the possible 28th Constitutional Amendment included several governance and policy matters, including National Finance Commission (NFC) resource distribution, population control and the construction of new water reservoirs.

He stressed that the government would not proceed with any constitutional amendment without consensus among all stakeholders.

The PM aide further said it was not necessary to alter the NFC formula, suggesting that defence expenditures could instead be treated separately from the current resource-sharing mechanism.

He added that consultations on constitutional and governance matters had been ongoing and would continue.

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The remarks come amid growing political speculation over a possible constitutional amendment ahead of Eid ul Adha, with concerns raised by opposition parties that any move could affect the 18th Amendment.

The 18th Amendment, passed during the PPP-led government in 2010, devolved several powers from the federation to provinces, including authority over health, social welfare, women’s development and local government.

However, federal ministers have rejected suggestions that the amendment would be rolled back.

Azam Nazeer Tarar has stated that no constitutional amendment would move forward without political consensus and that there were currently no concrete signs of a 28th Amendment.

Similarly, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari denied any immediate talks on the proposed amendment while addressing the PPP parliamentary party meeting on Thursday.

“No talks have taken place yet on the 28th Amendment; [but] I do not know about tomorrow,” Bilawal had said.