News
Cabinet passes proposal to lower voting age
Taiwan’s cabinet has passed a proposed amendment to the Civil Code to lower the legal age of majority to 18 from 20.
The engagement age has been set at 17 and the marriage age at 18 years for both men and women.
Currently, males cannot marry before they turn 18 while females cannot marry before they turn 16 - while the current engagement age for men is 17 and 15 for females.
Cabinet spokesman Ding Yi-ming says the proposed amendment will unify the legal age for marriage at 18 for both men and women, and the minimum age for engagement at 17 for both sexes.
According to Premier Su Tseng-chang, there is a high degree of public consensus for a lowering of the legal age of majority to 18 to bring it into line with 110 countries around the world.
However, the amendment involves changes in 38 laws and is related to 14 government agencies - and officials are warning that it will require at least two years before it can be put into effect.
