Age limit in politics

In the US, Republican candidate Nikki Halley is calling for a “basic intelligence test” for politicians over 75, that is, to test them for “sanity.”

Part of the issue is term limits. This is natural when you lead the most powerful country in the world. Joe Biden will soon turn 81, and age threatens to be one of the big issues coming up in the next US presidential election.

These questions arise and multiply every time there are incidents indicating mental confusion – either in relation to the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, who is already 81 years old, or in relation to the 83-year-old Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House US representatives.

Doubts also arise regarding health in general and problems including forced absence from work. The White House says Biden, for example, undergoes a battery of medical tests every year to ensure he is fit to serve. But has anyone seen them? However, no details about the nature of these tests have been reported.

Term limits are a way to solve the problem, at least partially, but it doesn’t work for cases like the current US president facing re-election. Compared to Europe, where systems are predominantly parliamentary, the differences are at the other end of the scale. For example, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni have not yet reached the age of 50 (they are 43, 45 and 46 years old respectively). Judge for yourself:

European Council:

The average age is 53.17 years.

The oldest is Olaf Scholz, 65 years old.

The youngest is Leo Varadkar, 44 years old.

Six people (20%) were aged 60 years or older.

Thirteen people (44%) were 50 years of age or younger.

G20

The average age is 61.65 years (if European leaders are excluded, the average age increases to 65.18 years).

The oldest is Joe Biden, 80 years old.

The youngest is Mohammed bin Salman, 38 years old.

Six people (26%) were aged 70 years or older.

Five people (21%) are under 50 years of age.

US Senate

The average age is 64.15 years.

The oldest is Dianne Feinstein, 90 years old (at the time of death 09.29.2023).

The youngest is Jon Ossoff, 36 years old.

Two people aged 90 years, 5 people aged 80 years or older.

Thirty-four people (34%) were 70 years of age or older.

Sixty-eight people (68%) were 60 years of age or older.

Eleven people (11%) were 50 years of age or younger.

Michelangelo Vercesi, a researcher at the Portuguese Institute of International Relations at the New University of Lisbon, says:

“Usually, prime ministers took office after gaining extensive experience in parliament, in the party and in government. But now, increasingly, outsiders are coming who have less political experience, more technical experience, and are young. In these cases, the question of age may “is what prime ministers do once they take office. Increasingly, these leaders are moving into the private sector. And that can raise questions about accountability.”

Average life expectancy is growing exponentially. There is already a minimum age to vote or stand as a candidate for some public office. Imposing a cap would be a form of discrimination that is generally prohibited by the constitution. In any case, everyone who goes to vote must be aware of who they are choosing.

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