The oldest (and youngest) world leaders
Due to his age, some have questioned Jeremy Corbyn’s ability to contest the next election, but how does he compare to other world leaders?
Some senior Labour frontbenchers have broken cover and voiced their concern that Jeremy Corbyn will be too old to lead the party into the next general election.
Now 68, Corbyn would be 72 at the next election in 2022 were the current parliament to run its full five-year term. While few expect that to happen, with most predicting an early election some time after the UK formally leaves the EU next March, one shadow cabinet source said: “A leader standing at a general election has to commit to doing a full five years. Jeremy is in good shape, but by May 2027 he will be nearly 78.”
If he does win in 2022 “he will become the oldest prime minister to move into Downing Street for the first time, beating the previous record set by Viscount Palmerston who was 70 when he assumed office in 1855”, says The Independent.
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While no spring chicken, Corbyn will be far from the only septuagenarian on the world stage to assume power.
So who is the oldest (and youngest) heads of state in the world:
The Queen, 91
Following the death of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2015 and the resignation of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe last year, The Queen is now not only the the longest serving head of state but also the oldest.
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Having also surpassed Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest serving monarch and now into her ninth decade you might expect her to be taking it a little easier. But while she has scaled back some of her royal duties, she has always insisted she will never step down or abdicate, and with her mother living to the ripe old age of 101, she could still have another decade on the throne.
Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Kuwait, 88
The fifth emir of Kuwait, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has ruled the tiny oil-rich Gulf state for 12 years, having previously spent 40 years as foreign minister, including during the Iraqi invasion and subsequent Gulf War of the early 1990s.
Raul Castro, Cuba, 86
Taking over from his brother Fidel over a decade ago, having served a record 50 years as armed forces minister, Raul Castro has overseen a period of economic reform that had somewhat revived Cuba’s flagging economy. He also moved to re-open ties with the West and particularly the US. This culminated in former president Barack Obama’s historic trip to the island in 2016 and the loosing of sanctions. However, Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, has signalled his intention to reverse many Obama-era policies towards Cuba.
The Guardian says he is “unlikely to make it to the top of this list as he has hinted he will step down in 2018” to make way for a younger successor.
Paul Biya, Cameroon, 84
The longest serving democratically elected (technically) head of state on the world, Biya has been in power since 1982 and has vowed to stay on at least until his current term runs out in 2020.
Long criticised for his appalling human rights record and targeting of opposition leaders, few expect him not to run again given his almost total control over the country he has ruled for almost four decades.
Michael Aoun, Lebanon, 84
President of Lebanon since 2016, he was elected the country’s head of state on the 46th electoral session of the Lebanese parliament, breaking a 29-month deadlock. A Maronite Christian and former army general during the civil war in the 1980s, he rose to be prime minister where he fought a brutal power struggle for control of the religiously diverse country.
Akihito, Japan, 84
Japan’s Akihito is the 125th Emperor in his line to sit on the Chrysanthemum Throne and has been the country’s official head of state since his father died in 1989.
Now aged 84, Akihito has already delegated many of his royal duties to his son and heir, Crown Prince Naruhito, and last year shocked Japan by announcing he would be the first emperor in over 200 years to give up the throne, stepping down in April 2019.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia, 82
The sixth son of Saudi Arabia’s founder, Abdulaziz ibn Saud, to accede to the top job, King Salman succeeded his brother Abdullah bin Abdulaziz back in 2015 and his reign has seen a raft of social and economic liberalisation.
Yet many see him as more of a figurehead, with real power lying in the hands of his 32-year-old heir, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who has vowed to open up Saudi Arabia, tackle corruption and crackdown on religious extremism. However, many also see this as an attempt to accumulate and consolidate power.
What about Donald Trump?
While by no means the oldest head of state in the world, America’s 45th president is the oldest to ever assume office. Aged 70 at the time he was sworn in, Trump beat the record set by Ronald Reagan who was a spry 69 at the time of his inauguration.
Questions around his physical and mental health have dogged Trump since he assumed office. A report out today from his physician claimed the president was mildly obese and needed to lose weight.
Trump's age would be nothing compared to Bernie Sanders, the Democratic frontrunner to challenge him in 2020, who would be 79 by the time he was sworn in.
And who is the youngest?
Sebastian Kurz, Austria, 31
The youngest leader in the world, the 31-year-old former foreign minister became Austria’s new Chancellor last year; spectacularly reviving the fortunes of his centre-right Austrian People’s Party, having only taken over as leader in March 2017.
Kim Jong Un, North Korea, 34
Believed to be 34, although this cannot be verified, Kim Jong Un is the third supreme leader of the secretive Stalinist state, and the grandson of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung. He assumed control of North Korea following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011 and has since consolidated his position with a series of brutal purges, most notably against his uncle and the assassination of his half-brother in Kuala Lumpur in 2016.
His regime has conducted a number of successful nuclear tests over the past two years, significantly heightening tensions in the region and sparking a war of words with Donald Trump that many fear could led to armed conflict.
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand, 38
The 38-year-old won an unexpected victory in last year’s New Zealand general election. Her coalition government, made up of both left wing and nationalist parties, has proposed a radical reform programme that has drawn strong praise from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.