BUENOS AIRES, Nov 1: Argentina on Wednesday night approved a law to lower the legal voting age to 16 in a move that could strengthen President Cristina Kirchner’s populist bloc ahead of next year’s legislative elections.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill — which was sponsored by Kirchner’s former chief of staff and had already passed the Senate — by 131 votes in favour to two against and one abstention.

Voting is compulsory for Argentines aged 18 and older — some 29 million people — but will be optional for those aged 16 and 17, some one million people.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...