When Is It Time to Step Down?

Age-Old Question in Politics

In recent months it has been announced that both 92-yearold President Paul Biya of Cameroon (currently the oldest serving head of state) and 83-year-old President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast have decided to run for another term in office.

Ageing politicians are of course not unique to Africa. George W. Bush served two terms in office (eight years), has been retired for 16 years, and when he celebrated his 79th birthday on 6 June this year, he was still younger than current US president, Donald Trump, who at 78 years and seven months was the oldest US president to be inaugurated. And yet, Trump is not the oldest Western leader at present, with Irish president, Michael D. Higgins, and Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, both being 84, while Harald V, the King of Norway, is 88 – though his role is more ceremonial than active.

This trend is not limited to heads of state either. Though he took a leave of absence between March 2021 and May 2024, Anthony Martin Grosvenor Christopher, otherwise known as Lord Christopher, is the oldest sitting member of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords at 100 years old, followed closely by Joan Anna Dalziel Seccombe, otherwise known as Baroness Seccombe, who is 95.

The 199th Congress in the United States of America currently has the highest number of older members in modern history, with Charles Grassley, who has served since 1981, the oldest at 91. He is joined by at least 19 other members of both houses who are over the age of 80, including 83-year-old former speaker, Mitch McConnell, who has suffered a series of public health scares, including falling on numerous occasions and freezing up while speaking.

I am not writing this to “age-shame” anyone, and I accept that with great age can (sometimes) come great wisdom. I just want to know why they do not simply retire and enjoy the rest of their life rather than continue working?

I am not writing this to “ageshame” anyone, and I accept that with great age can come great wisdom.

Sadly, money is probably a large part of it. I can understand how more and more people are finding that they do not have enough money to be able to retire and have to carry on working (of course, unlike most politicians, they are the ones who are not allowed to, having to stick to strict retirement age provisions). However, unless they were seriously bad with their money, surely presidents and senior politicians can afford a very comfortable retirement. After all, if news of our former president’s government-funded retirement house in Swakopmund is anything to go by, even in Namibia they are looked after.

Enough often is not enough for some people, though. We have all heard the stories about millions squirreled away in bank accounts in Switzerland and other so-called “tax haven” countries, and just look at the uproar among certain politicians in the United States caused by the tabling of a bill that would ban lawmakers, presidents and vice-presidents from stock trading – the rationale being that they are privy to information that the person on the street is not and, due to their connections, could “unjustly enrich themselves”.

Or is it just a case of not knowing what else to do with themselves? Someone once told me in jest (at least I hope it was) that they keep working past retirement age because they do not want to die, and I have heard from more than one person that if they did not work, they would not have anything else to do. I love my job, and I enjoy getting to do it, but there are so many other things that I would love to do but just do not always have the time for, so that getting to retire one day is something I look forward to. I hope to be fit and healthy enough to cycle, hike, swim, travel and even just have the time to sit quietly with a steaming cup of coffee and a good book.

Until next time, enjoy your journey.

David Bishop