Last week in the National Assembly, AR MP Tuhafeni Kalola proposed that Namibia should lower the voting age from 18 to 16.

Inside The Chambers spoke to political analyst Rui Tyitende and youth activist and legal researcher Brian Ngutjinazo, who shared their views on what this could mean for Namibia's democracy. 

Tyitende questioned whether a sixteen-year-old really understands politics, explaining that voting without knowledge could lead to bad choices.

However, he also admitted that young people proved many wrong in the last election, saying that first-time voters showed up in big numbers.

Tjitende also said that youth are waking up, as sometimes decisions that affect them are made without truly understanding their struggles.

Ngutjinazo provided a rights-based perspective, arguing that excluding sixteen-year-olds from voting could be seen as discriminatory.

Referring to Article 10 of the Namibian Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on any grounds, he added that age is clearly a factor that cannot be ignored.

Ngutjinazo believes that if youth must obey the law, they should help choose lawmakers.