The inaugural Youth Parliament session will be held next year

The first session of the Youth Parliament is scheduled to be held in March or April next year with the representation selected based on the states, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the ministry was now registering Malaysian voters aged from 18 to 40 in the current year, with a target of at least 200,000 voters nationwide.

"After having acieved the target, we plan to search for and register candidates for the Youth Parliament at the end of the year before the session could start next year.

"Those selected will represent their own state and not the Parliamentary constituency," he said.

Khairy disclosed this to reporters after attending the "Minggu Haluan Siswa Pelajar Baharu" at the International Islamic University here today. He attended as the minister-mentor to the university.

The Youth Parliament is an initiative announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak about two years ago.

The main objective for its implementation was to train the second echelon of leaders of calibre and integrity in line with the nation's current and future needs.