Experts disagree on proposal to reduce MP age requirement

While some praised the prime minister for the proposal, saying allowing 18 year olds to run in elections would improve democracy in Turkey, others said it would be very hard for the youth to successfully engage in active politics before they reach a certain age of maturity.

KONDA polling company General Manager Bekir Ağırdır told Sunday’s Zaman that he finds the prime minister’s proposal “very positive” and said at least one-third of Parliament should be composed of young people. Ağırdır believes Turkey may seek solutions to its chronic problems in a more effective manner with younger deputies and politicians.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced his proposal to allow 18 year olds to run as candidates in elections during a speech he made on Oct. 5. In Turkey, 18 year olds have the right to vote, but aspiring deputies have to wait until the age of 25 to stand for election.

Opposition politicians, however, did not welcome the proposal, and instead they said the prime minister’s words were only aimed at obtaining young people’s support in the presidential elections to be held in 2014. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli said his party is against any plan to reduce the age requirement for being elected a deputy, adding that the Turkish youth have more urgent problems to address than aspirations to run for election.

In addition, Atilla Kart, a deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), accused the prime minister of making all sorts of populist promises aimed at the masses, which may mean votes in bloc for himself in the approaching elections. Turkey is scheduled for local elections in 2013 and presidential elections in 2014.

Ağırdır is also of the opinion that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), led by Erdoğan, will see an increase in its votes if the required age to become a deputy is lowered. “The AK Party is the most organized party in the streets [which has the most hard-working youth branches]. It seems to me that the AK Party is much better than other parties at reaching out to the youth. There are some parties in Turkey whose youth branches act like formal [state] organizations [which do not work ambitiously]. The matter is if the youth really behaves like the youth. If they act like 60 year olds, then they cannot make contributions to politics or a political party,” Ağırdır stated.

In Turkey, the greatest obstacle before 18-year-old males to stand for election is a law that requires men to have completed their compulsory military service before running for office. The service applies to all healthy male citizens in Turkey from 20 to 41 years of age, with duration ranging from six to 15 months. Candidates who have not completed their service cannot run for Parliament.

The AK Party plans to bypass the obstacle with an amendment to the law, according to a senior party official. Nurettin Canikli, the AK Party’s parliamentary group deputy chairman, said his party plans to abolish the requirement that military service be completed before running for deputyship.

Turkey Youth Federation (TGF) President Rıza Sümer said his federation backs the idea of allowing 18 year olds to run for Parliament as a “human right.” He believes young people will assume greater responsibility in politics and political parties if the age requirement for deputy eligibility is lowered. “Candidacy of the youth [in elections] will allow young people to be considered as more than party staff who only carry banners and flags of political parties. Face-to-face communication between younger members of Parliament coming from different faiths, cultures and opinions will enable the easier settlement of the country’s problems,” Sümer said, adding, “Young people who should be raised with an understanding to respect other faiths and opinions, see differences as a richness and stand up against all sorts of violence will most probably carry their improved qualities [of character] to Parliament.”

However, Professor Özcan Köknel, a psychiatrist, thinks 18 years of age is far too early for an individual to stand for election as well as vote in elections. “A person has not completed his physical and mental growth at the age of 18. He is under the great impact of hormones at that age. An 18 year old may hate something in a moment which he thinks he loves,” Köknel said, adding that individuals do not mature mentally and spiritually until after 25. “Experts say young people should wait until 25 for successful marriage. So, how we do expect 18 year olds to become successful politicians?” he asked.

The professor also said young people are inclined to act under the influence of the old, and suggested older politicians may be seeking to take advantage of this. He also suggested that the age to vote in the elections should be raised to 25 from the current 18 so that young people may make better political choices when they are more mature.

According to Professor Nilüfer Narlı, head of Bahçeşehir University’s sociology department, lowering the age requirement for deputy eligibility poses both opportunities and risks for Turkish politics. On the one hand, enthusiasts who seek a career in politics at an early age will grasp an opportunity to that end, but on the other, they will probably face trouble in higher education because it will be rather hard to be successful both in politics and at university.

“The age of 18 is usually considered as early for an individual to make a healthy observation and assessment of incidents. Most psychologists say individuals begin to mature after 21. Politicians probably plan to lower the age requirement to stand for election because Turkey has a young population,” the professor noted.

Statistics show almost half of Turkey’s population is under 19 years old.

“There are very well raised youngsters who vie for a good career [in politics] at an early age. A decision [to lower the age requirement for deputy eligibility] may offer a good opportunity for them to attain their objectives,” she said, and added that she still has concerns about the prime minister’s proposal. “Eighteen year olds may really have received a good education and have other good qualifications, but their experience may not be satisfactory to offer them success in political life.” Narlı also said it remains a question for her how youngsters will both attend university and seek careers in politics at the same time. “Eighteen years old is still a time when young people are expected to attend schools [university]. I am not sure how they will continue receiving an education while serving as deputies [if they are elected to Parliament]. I think it will be a source of hardship for them,” she added.