Researcher says older politicians are like older drivers

Older politicians cannot be judged by age alone, just as some people can drive safely into their 90s while others cannot, University of Tartu comparative politics lecturer Alar Kilp told ERR.

Last week, 80-year-old Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s election, becoming president for a fourth time. In the United States, the successive presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden have also been older. Trump was 70 when he first took office in 2016, making him the third-oldest president to do so at the time. At 78, he was the oldest to take office for a second time, surpassing Biden’s record; Biden was more than 100 days younger.

Kilp said that since Bill Clinton was elected president in 1993, men born in the 1940s have held power in the United States. Barack Obama, born in 1961, was the only exception.

Older politicians are not necessarily a problem, Kilp said. He pointed to his University of Tartu colleague, emeritus professor of political science Rein Taagepera, who is 93 and continues to produce innovative, high-quality research, even compared with colleagues decades younger.

Older politicians often reach senior positions after building political capital over many years. Once in those roles, they tend to hold on to them, leaving younger colleagues with fewer opportunities, Kilp said.

Europe has relatively few leaders in their seventies, he said. Among the continent’s leaders, Kilp named Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He attributed the difference to greater turnover, with leaders not staying in office as long.

Estonia stands out for the youth of its politics in the 1990s, Kilp said. “They asked who among us had collaborated with the occupiers under the former regime, and there was a complete restart,” he said.

Young politicians including Mart Laar and Edgar Savisaar reached the top of Estonian politics, becoming heads of government at 32 and 41 respectively. They were not the only young Estonian prime ministers.

In a similar way to older politicians who remain in office, politicians who rose through party youth organisations in the 2000s have stayed in politics rather than making room for younger people, Kilp said. He cited Jüri Ratas and Taavi Rõivas, both of whom became prime ministers in their 30s. Rõivas has since left national politics but remains a member of the Reform Party. Ratas has left the Centre Party for Isamaa.

In Estonia, candidates for parliament must be at least 21 years old.