# How many countries have age requirements for their head of state / head of government? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629 "2019-12-10T01:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/41 "2019-12-11T20:42:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The Philippines requires the president to be able to read and write, a detail overlooked by most other countries, including the US. Political potshots are not permitted in GQ. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/42 "2019-12-11T21:34:59Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Political potshots are not permitted in GQ. 😃 Hey, calling that a political potshot is itself a political potshot.😉 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/43 "2019-12-12T00:30:03Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > It’s interesting that that would have been a large sum of money in 1867 when the requirement was set down, but that now it’s pretty minor. $125,000 then, which is in the ‘owning a not-major-city-house outright’ vs $4000 now, which is closer to ‘only owes half on a cheap used car’. I’m guessing that the requirement is not considered important any more since the amount hasn’t been increased due to inflation. IIRC this actually became an issue back in the '90s when the government appoint a Roman Catholic nun to the Senate; her order had to transfer a small amount of property to her name so she could take her seat. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/44 "2019-12-12T00:54:55Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > IIRC this actually became an issue back in the '90s when the government appoint a Roman Catholic nun to the Senate; her order had to transfer a small amount of property to her name so she could take her seat. Yes, that was Peggy Butts. [From Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Butts): > [@](#): > > At the age of 73, Peggy was appointed to the Senate of Canada. However, qualification laws for senators caused problems with her appointment. All Canadian senators are required to possess land worth at least $4,000 in the province for which he or she is appointed, as well as own real and personal property worth at least $4,000, above his or her debts and liabilities. Having taken a vow of poverty upon becoming a nun, Butts was able to officially be sworn in only after her order formally transferred a small parcel of land to her name. Butts resigned at the age of 75 as required by law, and for her two years of service donated her entire salary to charity. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/45 "2019-12-12T01:39:18Z")
Ancient Rome had age requirements for many government positions, including consul (generally regarded as the highest rank). Patricians could reach these ranks two years earlier than other nobles (the equites). Caesar was a patrician. One of his main rivals, the equites Bibulus, was exactly two years older. As a result, they kept finding themselves sharing ranks. (There were always two consuls at a time. It never occurred to Bibulus to just wait a year.) ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/46 "2019-12-12T04:01:18Z")
Age requirements, sure. Property requirements, well why not. But how about religious requirements like Lebanon IIRC? (I doubt a Hindu will ever lead the independent nation of Vatican City.) Sure, those have something to do with demographics. But how many nations require literacy, let alone passable IQ or sanity? Or even hominid DNA. The US Constitution doesn’t require legislators or judges/justices to be human. I recall an old SciFi story about a robotic pope. Which nations specifically demand their leaders to be born of women? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Maple\_Leaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a8b319/32.png) [@The\_Maple\_Leaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Maple_Leaf)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/47 "2019-12-13T14:34:19Z")
In the Czech Republic, of which I am a naturalized citizen, the minimum age to run for for President, or for the Senate, is 40. For a deputy (member of parliament), it is 21. However, both the age of majority and the voting age are 18. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/48 "2019-12-13T17:43:07Z")
I assume the US provision was, besides the assumption someone over 35 would act mature and rational, that there were too many instances of alleged appointed/elected positions in Europe that despite the intent they be for qualified individuals, effectively became the political property of the occupant and passed down to sons or other relatives. It was one more provision to ensure true democracy not a sham one hiding a hereditary ruler - keeping in mind they did not write term limits into the original constitution. (so what happens when the speaker is under 35 and a president and VP are no longer in position?) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/49 "2019-12-13T17:48:46Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > (so what happens when the speaker is under 35 and a president and VP are no longer in position?) The succession passes to the next qualified person in line, as it would if the person didn’t qualify on some other constitutional restriction. Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright were not in the line of succession because they were foreign born. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/50 "2019-12-13T18:06:38Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Or even hominid DNA. The US Constitution doesn’t require legislators or judges/justices to be human. I recall an old SciFi story about a robotic pope. Which nations specifically demand their leaders to be born of women? That was _Good News from the Vatican_ by Robert Silverberg. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/51 "2019-12-13T21:12:35Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > (There were always two consuls at a time. It never occurred to Bibulus to just wait a year.) It was an accomplishment in republican Rome to take office _in suo anno_, the first year you were eligible for it. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/52 "2019-12-14T00:17:16Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > That’s quite novel. Was there a pressing reason why Victoria had to be on the throne and not just appointed regent interregnum? I wonder if she would have abdicated as expected. Might make an interesting alternative history novel. > > OB Queen Adelaide was not known to be pregnant and she was already in her mid-40s. This was more a “cover our bases just in case” clause rather than any serious expectation that a regency would be needed. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/53 "2019-12-14T12:33:43Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > As has been mentioned our constitution is to a great extent unwritten and ruled by precedent, so it would take it happening to test the outcome. I think it more likely a regent would be appointed until the unborn heir was born and subsequently reached majority. It’s true that the UK constitution is to a large extent unwritten, but this aspect is indeed one of those explicitly governed by statute. Under the [Regency Act 1937](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_Acts#Regency_Act_1937) (adopted on the occasion of the accession of George VI; this made his daughter Elizabeth heir presumptive, who was a minor at the time), there is a regency if the monarch is below the age of eighteen. The regent is the person who is next in line to the throne (and not himself or herself disqualified, e.g. for not being of full age). The regent carries out the functions of the monarch in the name and on behalf of that monarch. So, in essence, there is no age requirement for being head of state in the UK (and the other Commonwealth realms, for that matter), but there is an age requirement of eighteen for carrying out the functions of the monarch. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/54 "2019-12-14T15:58:04Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > this aspect is indeed one of those explicitly governed by statute. Under the [Regency Act 1937](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_Acts#Regency_Act_1937)… But that doesn’t seem to address the situation we were talking about, which is where a king’s first child has been conceived but not yet born. If the king dies (but the mother and foetus survive), does someone else become monarch (temporarily or otherwise) or is there a gap in the line of monarchs until the baby is born? It occurs to me that in the British monarchies this would be slightly less of an issue, but in countries where women could not become sole monarch it would have been important since they didn’t know what sex the baby would be. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/55 "2019-12-14T16:36:49Z")
Would also be an issue under the traditional British system if the deceased king had left behind a first-born daughter, and the queen was pregnant. If the child was another girl, the first-born daughter would have been queen regnant from the moment the king died. But if the second child is a male, she never would have been queen. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/56 "2019-12-14T17:22:22Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > But that doesn’t seem to address the situation we were talking about, which is where a king’s first child has been conceived but not yet born. If the king dies (but the mother and foetus survive), does someone else become monarch (temporarily or otherwise) or is there a gap in the line of monarchs until the baby is born? During the reign of George VI, the question came up again as it was theoretically possible that Queen Elizabeth would be pregnant with a male heir at the end of her husband’s reign. The government [sought legal advice](https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/TNA/HO_45_23509.htm) (toward the bottom), and the opinion they got was that the 1830 legislation simply codified a general rule that there’s always a monarch, but that a posthumous child with a superior claim automatically snatched the crown off of the new monarch’s head upon birth: > [@](#): > > The Regency Act, 1830, provided that the Heiress Presumptive should ascend the Throne as Queen with a saving for the rights of a male posthumous Heir. If such an Heir had been born he would have succeeded and the somewhat anomalous position would have arisen of the Queen’s reign terminating in her lifetime. The debates in the House of Lords show that this was regarded as putting into legislative form the result arrived at by a consideration of feudal law and the special position of the Crown. Reference is made to the descent of real property, but we are of opinion that the real basis is that also referred to by Lord Lyndhurst on introducing the Regency Bill, namely, that there can be no abeyance and no vacancy in the holding of the Office. We think that this is a basis which is sound in law. The opinion also details how some other countries did go with a temporary regency instead of a back-and-forth, but says that “no such halt in the succession could arise in this country unless Parliament expressly so provided.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-have-age-requirements-for-their-head-of-state-head-of-government/844629/57 "2019-12-14T17:28:45Z")
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