AGE RESTRICTIONS &

REQUIREMENTS IN POLITICS

A Global Look.

D A N C E N T I N E L L O

HOW OLD DOES A LEADER NEED TO BE TO HAVE OUR TRUST?

The answer varies across nations; some say the voting age of 18 is old

enough even for a president. Others urge caution, and set the age bar at as

high as forty. Oftentimes, elected offices in regional and local offices also

have determinations for how old a candidate must be before presenting

themselves as a candidate. Differences aside, all nations lay out specific

requirements for their leaders.

CANADA

All candidates who seek public office must be at least 18 to run in an election. The exception to this is for senators, who must be at least 30 and own a minimum of $4,000 worth of land in their appointed province. Candidates must additionally possess property or assets valued at $4,000 more than their totaled debts and liabilities.

Current President: Justin Trudeau, age 45. Trudeau is the second-youngest president in Canada’s history behind Joe Clark, who was sworn into office on the eve of his 40th birthday. 

FRANCE

In France, presidential candidates must be 18 years old. Interestingly, this is below the 24 years required of a senatorial candidate. 

Current President: Emmanuel Macron, age 39. Macron is the youngest president in France’s history.

GERMANY

Candidates for the German presidency must be at least 40 years old at the time of their candidacy. All other local, regional, and national elected positions require their candidates to be 18 and over.

Current President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, age 61Current Prime Minister: Angela Merkel, age 63 

UNITED STATES

Presidential and vice-presidential candidates must be at least 35 to run for office. The requirement stands at 30 for senators, and at 25 for representatives. On the regional level, states set their own rules regarding age specifications for positions such as the governorship. Usually, though, these candidates are required to be 18 or 21 in order to run. 

Current President: Donald Trump, age 71

UNITED KINGDOM

Excepting Scotland (whose age limit is set at 16), candidates must be at least 18 years of age to run for all parliamentary, assembly, and council positions. This rule applies not only to national-level UK positions, but also to those at European, devolved, or local level. The age for candidacy was 21 until 2006, when it was officially lowered by the Electoral Administration Act.

Current Prime Minister: Theresa May, age 61 

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