Age of candidacy is the minimum age at which a person can legally hold certain elected government offices. In many cases, it also determines the age at which a person may be eligible to stand for an election or be granted ballot access.
International standards International electoral standards which are defined in the International Public Human Rights Law, allow restricting candidacy on the basis of age. The interpretation of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights offered by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in the General Comment 25 states "Any conditions which apply to the exercise of the rights protected by article 25 (of the ICCPR) should be based on objective and reasonable criteria. For example, it may be reasonable to require a higher age for election or appointment to particular offices than for exercising the right to vote, which should be available to every adult citizen."
Comparison
+ Country President Vice President Prime Minister Upper house Lower house References4018 - 18404025 18 18 - 1835 - -18 - -2121213030 - 30 25 40 -25 -25 - -18181835 -181818, ss. 2 and 6, Republik Österreich Parlament (German). Retrieved on 1 July 2007.1818 -18 - -213021 - -30353035 -25 - 25 -21212135 - -3021 - -181818Grondwet van België Articles 64 & 69. - -181818Laws of Belize, Volume II, Title VIII, Chapter 88, Part III. "Any person shall be eligible to be elected as a member of a council who: is a citizen of Belize; and has ordinarily resided in the village for at least one year immediately preceding the election; and is at least eighteen years old."40 - -25 - -2525253030 -18183030 - -183535 -3521Brazilian Constitution (in Portuguese)4040 - -2135Incumbent Ibrahim Traoré was 34 years old when he became president through a military coup. - -40352535 -1830 -402535 -4023 - -301835 - - - -35 -35214545 -183030 -302535 - -1830 -25302530 -45253030 - -2135 -2318 -18The Law on the Election of the President of the Republic of Croatia. Retrieved 7 January 2019.CROATIA Hrvatski Sabor (Croatian Parliament). INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION. Retrieved 7 January 2019.Voting in Croatia. Expat in Croatia. Retrieved 7 January 2019.353535 -183535 (indefinitely vacant) -2525404021 - -18 -1840 - -2340 -2121213030 -252535 -173030 - -18 40 4035352530 - -2540 - -2540 -212121 -18 -1818 -18 -18182418403030 - -2140 -18 -2540 -1818Landtagswahlgesetz - LWG I. Allgemeines - § 4 Wählbarkeit. Retrieved 24 December 2014.40 - -2140 -25 -25Greece. Youthpolicy.org. Retrieved 6 January 2019. - -1818184040181835 - -21181818 -18 - - -213030 - -21 35 - - 1835 - -18353525302540 or has or is currently holding a position elected through general elections, including regional head elections40 or has or is currently holding a position elected through general elections, including regional head elections -212121 - -264035 (never established)28Constitution of Iraq, Article 68Constitution of Iraq, Article 77Iraqi Election Law 2019, Article 8(1)35 -3021Constitution of Ireland Article 12.4.1° (President) Article 16.1.1° (Dáil Éireann), Article 18.2 (Seanad Éireann) -30 -2150 -4025 - -21212125 -303025 - -40403040 -30251818 -181821 - -21 - -30 -3035 -21 -21181818 -18Kosovo. Youthpolicy.org. Retrieved 25 November 2020.202020 -2040 - -21252525 - -18211835 -302535402140 - -25 - - -1835 -3535 -(never established)21 - -2130213535 - -18 - 1821 - - -2140 -3525404018 -1835 - -25213030 - -3040 - 18 - - -2545 - -2518 -18 -1835 - -18 4530 (dissolved)25 (dissolved)353521212120 - - -2045353525 - -181818 - -18 -182525 - -213535 -3525 -17 - -18 -1845 -2530253535 -252540 - - -283535 - -21 - - -253030 -35253535 - -254040352535 -302135 - -18 - - -30 35 - 33 23 35 - -21 35 -4021 - -212121 - -213021 - -21212135 - -1835 - -25 - - 18Serbia. Youthpolicy.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.1818 - -1840 - -2145 -21 -2140 -21 -21 - -21 -2118181840 - - -18 - -18181818 -18 -18404025 -(never established)303030 -21 - -18 -18SWEDEN Riksdagen (Parliament). INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION. Retrieved 7 January 2019.1818181818 40 40 - -2330 -30304021 -21 - -35402535 - -2535 -18251840 - -234040 - -18 - -21 -21181818 -1835 - -21 - -1821183535 -302535 -302535 -252525 -25 -253030 - -21212121 -213535 - - 21 - - - 40 21
Historical The first known example of a law enforcing age of candidacy was the Lex Villia Annalis, a Roman law enacted in 180 BCE which set the minimum ages for senatorial magistrates.
By country
Australia In Australia a person must be aged 18 or over to stand for election to public office at federal, state or local government level. Prior to 1973, the age of candidacy for the federal parliament was 21.
The youngest ever member of the House of Representatives was 20-year-old Wyatt Roy, elected in the 2010 federal election. The youngest member of Penrith City Council, and of any local council in New South Wales, is Libby Austin, who was 19 at the time of her election in September 2024.
Austria In Austria, a person must be 18 years of age or older to stand in elections to the European Parliament or National Council. The Diets of regional Länder are able to set a minimum age lower than 18 for to be in the polls in elections to the Diet itself as well as to municipal councils in the Land.Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz - Federal Constitutional Law 1920, 1929 version . Retrieved on 3 February 2007. In presidential elections the candidacy age is 35.
Belgium Any Belgian who has reached the age of 18 years can stand for election for the Chamber of Representatives, can become a member of the Senate, or can be elected in one of the regional parliaments. This is regulated in the Constitution (Art. 64) and in the Special Law on the Reform of the Institutions.
Belize According to the Constitution of Belize, a person must be at least 18 years old to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives and must be at least 30 to be Speaker of the House. A person must be at least 18 years old to be appointed to the Senate and must be at least 30 to be president or Vice-President of the Senate. As only members of the House of Representatives are eligible to be appointed prime minister, the Prime Minister must be at least 18 years old. A person must also be at least 18 years old to be elected to a village council.
Brazil The Brazilian Constitution (Article 14, Section 3 (VI)) defines 35 years as the minimum age for someone to be elected president, Vice-President or Senator; 30 years for state Governor or Vice-Governor; 21 for Federal or State Deputy, Mayor or Vice-Mayor; and 18 for city Council member.
Canada In Canada, the constitution does not outline any age requirements to run for elected office, simply stating "Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of the members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein." However under the current Elections Canada Act to be eligible to run for elected office (municipal, provincial, federal) one must be a minimum of 18 years or older on the day of the election. Prior to 1970, the age requirement was 21 along with the voting age.
To be appointed to the Senate (Upper House), one must be at least 30 years of age and under 75 years of age.
In the province of Ontario, Sam Oosterhoff, a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, was first elected at the age of 19 in a November 2016 by-election, the youngest Ontario MPP to ever be elected.
Pierre-Luc Dusseault (born May 31, 1991) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 federal election at the age of 19, becoming the youngest Member of Parliament in the country's history. He was sworn into office two days after his 20th birthday. He was re-elected in 2015 but lost his seat in the 2019 Canadian federal election.
Central African Republic Article 36 of the 2016 Constitution of the Central African Republic requires that candidates for President must "be aged thirty-five (35) years at least [on] the day of the deposit of the dossier of the candidature".Central African Republic's Constitution of 2016, William S. Hein & Co., English translation, translated by Maria del Carmen Gress, 2017.
Chile In Chile the minimum age required to be elected President of the Republic is 35 years on the day of the election. Before the 2005 reforms the requirement was 40 years, and from 1925 to 1981 it was 30 years. For senators it is 35 years (between 1981 and 2005 it was 40 years) and for deputies it is 21 years (between 1925 and 1970 it was 35 years).
China In China the minimum age to be elected as president or vice-president is 45.Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Section 2, Article 79. All citizens who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote and stand for election.
Cyprus In Cyprus the minimum age to be elected president is 35 years. The minimum age to run for the House of Representatives was 25 years until the Constitution was amended in 2019 to lower the limit to 21.
Czech Republic In the Czech Republic, a person must be at least 18-years-old to be elected in local elections. A person must be at least 21 years old to be elected to the lower house of the Czech Parliament or to the European Parliament and 40 years old to be a member of the upper house (Senate) of the Parliament or the President of the Czech Republic.
Denmark In Denmark, any adult 18 years of age or older can become a candidate and be elected in any public election.
Estonia In Estonia, any citizen 18 years of age or older can be elected in local elections, and 21 years or older in parliamentary elections. The minimum age for the President of Estonia is 40.
France In France, any citizen 18 years of age or older can be elected to the lower house of Parliament, and 24 years or older for the Senate. The minimum age for the President of France is 18.
Germany In Germany a citizen must be 18 or over to be elected at the national level, like the Chancellor, and this age to be elected at the regional or local level. A person must be 40 or over to be President.
Greece In Greece, those aged 25 years old and over who hold Greek citizenship are eligible to stand and be elected to the Hellenic Parliament.GREECE Vouli Ton Ellinon (Hellenic Parliament). INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION. Retrieved 6 January 2019. All over 40 years old are eligible to stand for presidency.
Hong Kong In Hong Kong a person must be at least 21 to be candidate in a district council or Legislative Council election. A person must be at least 40 to be candidate in the Chief Executive election, and also at least 40 to be candidate in the election for the President of the Legislative Council from among the members of the Legislative Council.Articles 44 and 71(2) of The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Iceland For the office of President, any Icelandic citizen who has reached the age of 35 and fulfills the requirement necessary to vote in elections to the Althing is eligible to be elected president.
India In India a person must be at least: 35 to be the President or Vice President, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor of the states and union territories as specified in the Constitution of India 30 to be a member of Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Parliament of India) and a State Legislative Council (the upper house of a State Legislature, in those states where the legislature is bicameral). 25 to be the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister, Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker, and State Minister in the state governments. Additionally, to be a member of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament of India) and a State Legislative Assembly (the lower house or only house of a State Legislature in the states of India.)