In power under 40: these are the youngest heads of state and government in the world

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Critics fear that US President Joe Biden could be too old for another term. In exchange for the American Democrats, French President Emmanuel Macron (46) is counting on Junge to restart his government: Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (62) must leave, Gabriel Attal (34) will take her place.

Attal was previously minister of education and was officially appointed prime minister on Tuesday. The 34-year-old has many new obligations, but he is not the only young minister in history. These ten heads of state took office before they were forty years old.

Sebastian Kurz (37) was a real political prodigy. At just 27 years old, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and in 2017, at the age of 31, he became Chancellor of Austria. This made Kurz the youngest head of government in the world. He was re-elected in 2020, but resigned in 2021 after 17 months. “It was a great honor for me to serve the Republic for ten years. Thank you very much,” Kurz said at the time. His party colleagues no longer found Kurz acceptable.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani (41) has been in office since April 2021. Their politics is focused on the fight against corruption. At just 39 years old, she was elected president.

Finland’s youngest Prime Minister was Sanna Marin (38). From 2020 to 2023 she was chairman of the Social Democratic Party. When she took office, she was the youngest head of government in the world at 34 years old. But in April 2023, Marin was voted out. Many Finns criticized Marin for letting international fame go to her head.

In 2023, Jakov Milatovic (37) was elected president of Montenegro and was 36 years old at the time. He is very committed to the economy in Montenegro. His goal is to become a member of the European Union.

The political career of Gabriel Boric (37) started while he was still at school. And he stuck with it. At just 35 years old, Boric was elected president of Chile. The left-wing politician promised a better approach to the environment, claiming that “he would always respond to people’s needs.”

Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (43) was only 33 years old when he became Emir of Qatar. He has now been in office for ten years. In 2003, his father appointed his fourth son as his successor. The 33-year-old became the youngest head of state in the Arab world. He is married to three wives and has 13 children.

In October 2017, Jacinda Ardern (43) was elected president of New Zealand. The then 38-year-old encouraged young women in the country and proved that pursuing a career and raising a family can go hand in hand. In 2018, she took her three-month-old daughter to the UN General Assembly. But their policies during the corona pandemic caused their popularity to decline. “I know what it takes for this job, and I know I don’t have enough left in the tank. It’s that simple,” Ardern said when she resigned in January 2023.

Georgian President Iraqi Gharibashvili (41) was elected president at the age of just 39. At the age of 30, he was appointed prime minister, making him the youngest head of state next to Kim Jong-un.

Dictator Kim Jong Un (40) has ruled North Korea since December 2011. It is not entirely clear how old Kim Jong Un is. It was originally said that he was born in Pyongyang in 1983. His aunt later corrected the date to 1984. Then in 2012 it was said that the dictator would celebrate his thirtieth birthday. One thing is clear: no head of state came to power as young as Kim Jong-un.

Mohammed bin Salman (38) has been Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia since 2017 and Prime Minister since 2022. In 2015, his father appointed him the youngest Minister of Defense, at the age of 29.

Source: Blick