Cuba Scraps 60-Year Age Limit for Presidential Candidates 

Cuba has officially removed the age limit of 60 years for presidential candidates following a constitutional reform approved by the country’s parliament on Friday.

The reform, which was endorsed by the Council of State, maintains the existing two-term, five-year limit for presidents and the minimum candidacy age of 35. However, it eliminates any upper age restriction for individuals deemed to be “in the full exercise of their physical and mental faculties, with… loyalty and revolutionary trajectory,” according to National Assembly President Esteban Lazo.

Among the first to vote in support of the amendment was 94-year-old former president Raul Castro, who remains an active member of the Assembly. The change is expected to take effect ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

Current President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is 65, was first elected in 2018 and secured a second term in 2023. So far, no official successor has been publicly endorsed.

The introduction of both term and age limits in Cuba’s 2019 constitution was seen as a major departure from the decades-long rule of Fidel and Raul Castro, who governed Cuba without such constraints.

Fidel Castro, who led the island nation for nearly 50 years, stepped down in 2006 due to ill health, officially transferring power to his brother in 2008. Fidel passed away in 2016. Raúl Castro remained president until 2018 and relinquished his role as Communist Party first secretary in 2021.

The constitutional reform comes at a time when Cuba faces its worst economic downturn in over 30 years, with widespread shortages, prolonged power cuts, and record levels of emigration.