Austria’s Sebastian Kurz, 33, is now the world’s youngest serving head of state after forming a coalition government which is due to present its programme Thursday.
The chancellor dethrones Finland’s Sanna Marin who took office on December 10 at the age of 34.
Here are other sitting world leaders who took power in their thirties:
- Ukraine: Lawyer Oleksiy Goncharuk was named prime minister in August 2019, aged 35, by President Volodymyr Zelensky, himself only 41.
- Salvador: Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele was sworn in as president in June 2019 aged 37.
- Andorra: Former justice minister Xavier Espot Zamora became the head of government of the small territory between France and Spain in May 2019 aged 39.
- Costa Rica: Carlos Alvarado, a journalist and former labour minister, won elections to became president in May 2018 aged 38.
- New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern was 37 years old when she was sworn in as prime minister in October 2017.
- Ireland: Leo Varadkar became Ireland’s youngest prime minister in June 2017 when he was aged 38.
- France: At the age of 39, one-time investment banker Emmanuel Macron became France’s youngest president in May 2017.
- Estonia: Centrist Juri Ratas was named prime minister in November 2016 aged 38. He took over from Taavi Roivas, who was 34 when he took office in 2014.
- Malta: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat took power in March 2013 at 39 years old.
Excluding democratic governments, other notable young leaders include North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, 35, and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, 39. Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, today aged 39, took power in 2006 when he was just 26.-AFP
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