RIGA, Oct 2 (LETA) - Saeima Public Administration and Local Government Committee on Wednesday rejected a bill amending the Law on Election of Local Government Councils, which proposed lowering the legal voting age to 16 years in local government elections.

Ervins Labanovskis (Progressives) who had proposed lowering the voting age told the committee that, according to public opinion, citizens were not sufficiently involved in public processes and the number of people going out to vote was falling.

According to public opinion surveys, only a small percentage of young people feel heard by municipalities, Labanovskis went on to say.

The legal voting age in municipal elections in Estonia is 16, and "there has been no disaster," said Labanovskis.

Eliza Loja supported Labanovskis by saying that in other countries where young people were allowed to vote in municipal elections from the age of 16, young people's interest in politics had increased, and issues that were important to young people were more dealt with more effectively in these countries.

If the legal voting age is lowered to 16 years, young people will have more influence on decisions that directly affect them, added Loja.

Nonpartisan MP Andrejs Celapiters also supported the proposal.

Nevertheless, the committee rejected the motion, referring to the Constitutio which says that only full citizens of Latvia may participate in municipal elections.