A couple of centuries ago, in many countries of the world, a situation could have developed in which a baby is the head of state. However, today such options are unthinkable even in those few countries where the monarchy is preserved.
The post of head of state is most often given to an experienced and authoritative person. And such qualities, as you know, come with age. Meanwhile, there are leaders who, for one reason or another, came to power quite early. They are today gathered in our Top 10 youngest heads of state.
10. Victor Ponta
The Prime Minister of Romania was born in 1972, by the time he assumed his current post in 2012, he was 40 years old. Pontus is a lawyer by training, and during his career managed to work as a prosecutor, including in the Supreme Court of Romania.
9. Tatyana Turanskaya
This year, the Prime Minister of Moldova will turn 41 years old. Despite the fact that Tatyana was born in Ukraine, she managed to work hard and fruitfully for the benefit of the Republic of Moldova, whose government eventually led it.
8. Araik Harutyunyan
The Prime Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is only 39 years old. Harutyunyan, an economist by education, worked in the Ministry of Economics and Finance, and also held the position of Armagrobank branch manager. In his current position, the Prime Minister has been working since 2007, at the time of his appointment he was already 34 years old.
7. Joseph Muscat
The Prime Minister of Malta is 39 years old; he took office in 2013. In this post, he replaced the 60-year-old Lawrence Gonzi, becoming the youngest prime minister in the history of the independent Republic of Malta.
6. Andri Radzuelina
The 39-year-old politician is President of the Higher Transitional Administration of Madagascar. He is the head of state with limited rights in the law, but not limited to the executive and judicial branches
5. Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson
The Prime Minister of Iceland was born in 1975 and at the time of taking office, he was 38 years old. Gunnlaugsson is a hereditary politician, his father was repeatedly elected to parliament. The prime minister’s first step in the new post was the suspension of negotiations on Iceland’s accession to the EU.
4. Atifete Yahyaga
The President of the Republic of Kosovo is 38 years old. She took her post in 2011. This charming woman previously served as deputy chief of police in a high rank of Major General.
3. Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk
The fifth king of Bhutan ascended the throne at the age of 27 after the abdication of his father in 2006. Namgyal studied at colleges in the UK and the USA, actively participated in international forums and conferences. Until 2011, Namgyal was considered the youngest ruler in the world.
2. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
In June 2013, the 33-year-old became the fourth emir of Qatar. The prince was educated in the UK and actively participated in ruling the country during the reign of his father. Emir devotes much time to promoting sports in the country and even nominated the capital of Qatar as a candidate for the Olympics.
1. Kim Jong-un
The youngest head of state is the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Labor Party of North Korea. Kim Jong-un inherited the reins of the deceased Kim Jong Il in December 2011 at the age of 29.