The Green Party has re-affirmed its commitment to giving the vote to anyone over the age of 16.
The Green Primary, a ground-breaking Europe-wide e-democracy project currently underway, offers anyone living in the European Union who is over the age of 16 the opportunity to vote for the two Green leading candidates for the 2014 European Elections. The winners of the Green Primary will be in the running to become the next European Commission President.
The European Green Primary functions similarly to the presidential primaries in the US, whereby figures within the party run against one another in an open and public manner to win the candidacy.
As well as backing the democratic nature of the project in general, the Green Party of England and Wales fully support engaging 16-year-olds in the electoral process.
Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, noted that “it will be the first-ever pan-European primary election, a chance for 16 and 17-year-olds to influence a vote from which they are otherwise excluded.
“We hope will provoke a wide debate not just about the contenders but about the possibility of giving citizens a much broader say in European decision-making.”
The Green Primary engages disaffected voters or those potential voters who have become divorced from the traditional political process. Live debates have taken place or will be taking place in austerity-squeezed Greece and Spain showing these voters what the candidates stand for and how voting Green could help them.
Natalie added: “This primary is an experiment in extending European democracy well beyond its former limits.”
To find out more, view information about the candidates to and register to vote in the Green Primary, please visit the Green Primary site here.