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When the U.S. president on Tuesday introduced that he would search reelection in 2024, consideration shortly turned to his superior age.
If elected, Joe Biden could be 82 on inauguration day in 2025, and 86 on leaving the White Home in January 2029.
POLITICO took a glance across the globe and again by means of historical past to fulfill another elected world leaders who continued properly into their octogenarian years, at a time when most individuals have settled for his or her dressing robe and slippers, some gentle gardening, and complaining about younger individuals.
Listed here are seven of the oldest — and sure, they’re all males.
Paul Biya
The world’s oldest serving chief, Cameroon’s president has been in energy since 1982, successful his (newest) reelection on the age of 85 with a North Korea-esque 71.28 p.c of the vote.
Spanning greater than 4 many years and 7 consecutive phrases — in 2008, a constitutional reform lifted time period limits — Biya’s largely undisputed reign has not come with out controversy.
His opponents have recurrently accused him of election fraud, claiming he efficiently constructed a state equipment designed to maintain him in energy.
Infamous for his lavish journeys to an opulent palace on the banks of Lake Geneva, which he’s visited greater than 50 occasions, Biya retains stretching the boundaries of retirement. Though he has not formally introduced a bid for the following presidential elections in 2025, his social gathering has known as on him to run once more regardless of his declining well being.
Final February, celebrations had been organized all through the nation for the president’s ninetieth birthday. In accordance with the federal government, younger individuals spontaneously got here out on the streets to point out their love for Biya.
Konrad Adenauer
West Germany’s iconic first chancellor was elected for his inaugural time period on the tender age of 73, however competed and gained a 3rd and remaining time period on the age of 85.
In his 14-year chancellorship (1949-1963), Adenauer formed Germany’s postwar years with a powerful deal with integrating the younger democracy into the West. Huge milestones resembling the combination of Germany into the European Financial Group and becoming a member of the NATO alliance just some years after World Warfare II occurred below his management.
If his nickname “der Alte” (“the outdated man”) is at some point bestowed upon Biden, the U.S. president would share it with a real buddy of America.
Ali Khamenei
84-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final phrase on all strategic points in Iran, and his rule has been marked by murderous brutality in opposition to opponents.
That violence has solely escalated lately, with mass arrests and the imposition of the loss of life penalty in opposition to these protesting his dictatorial rule. A mere middle-ranking cleric within the Eighties, few anticipated Khamenei to succeed Ruhollah Khomeini as Iran’s supreme chief, and he took the highest job in hurried, constitutionally doubtful circumstances in 1989.
A pipe-smoker and participant of the tar, a standard stringed instrument, he was president through the attritional Iran-Iraq battle of the Eighties, and survived a bomb assault in opposition to him in 1981 that crippled his arm.
Fortunately for Khamenei, he doesn’t have the stress of going through elections to put on him down.
Robert Mugabe
You’ve heard the saying “Energy tends to deprave; absolute energy corrupts completely” — properly, right here’s a basic case examine.
Robert Mugabe’s political profession reached hovering heights earlier than crashing to miserable lows, throughout his almost 4 many years ruling over Zimbabwe. He got here to energy as a champion of the anti-colonial wrestle, however his rule descended into authoritarianism — whereas he oversaw the collapse of Zimbabwe’s financial system and society.
Although Mugabe’s remaining election win was marred by allegations of vote-rigging and intimidation, the longtime chief chalked up a thumping, landslide victory in 2013, aged 89.
He was lastly, completely, eliminated as chief properly into his nineties, throughout a coup d’etat in 2017. He died two years later.
Giorgio Napolitano
The previous Italian president took his largely symbolic position to new heights when, aged 86, he efficiently steered the nation by means of a deadly transition of energy in 2011 — closing that specific chapter of Silvio Berlusconi’s story.
Working largely behind the scenes, Napolitano noticed 5 PMs come and go throughout his eight-and-a-half years in workplace, at a time when Italian politics had been rife with instability (however hey, what’s new?).
Reelected in opposition to his will in 2013 at 87 — he had needed to step down, however gave in after a go to from social gathering leaders determined to place Italy’s political panorama again on a fair keel — Napolitano gained the nickname “Re Giorgio” (King George) for his statesmanship.
When he resigned two years later, he stated: “Right here [in the presidential palace], it’s all very stunning, nevertheless it’s a bit like jail. At dwelling, I’ll be okay, I can exit for a stroll.”
Mahmoud Abbas
“It has been an excellent day,” Javier Solana, the then European Union international coverage chief, exclaimed when Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority in 2005.
As a tireless advocate of a negotiated two-state answer to the Israeli-Palestinian battle, Abbas has loved sturdy backing from the worldwide group.
However three EU coverage chiefs later and with lasting peace no nearer, Abbas continues to be in energy, regardless of most polls exhibiting that Palestinians need him to step apart.
His answer for political survival: No presidential elections have been held within the Palestinian Territories since that historic poll in 2005, with the Palestinian management blaming both Israel or the prospect of rising Hamas affect for the postponement of elections.
Whereas Abbas appears to have discovered an answer for political survival, the bodily survival of the 87-year-old chain smoker is now being known as into query.
William Gladstone
Queen Victoria reportedly described Gladstone as a “half-mad firebrand” — and also you’d should be to chase a fourth time period as prime minister aged 82.
At that time Gladstone had already outlived Britain’s life expectancy on the time by many years.
Throughout his profession, Gladstone expanded the vote for males — however did not move a system of dwelling rule in Eire, and he was slammed for alleged inaction to assist British troopers who had been slaughtered within the Siege of Khartoum.
Gladstone was Britain’s oldest-ever prime minister when he finally stepped down at 84 — and nobody has crushed that document since. Equally, nobody has served greater than his 4 (nonconsecutive) phrases.
However ought to the Tories stay hooked on chaos, who’d wager in opposition to Boris Johnson beginning his fifth stint as PM in 2049?
Ali Walker and Christian Oliver contributed reporting.
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