Age and leadership: Should 18-20 year-olds be eligible?

Dar es Salaam. Political analysts and stakeholders in the country are divided over the issue of allowing 18-20-year-olds to vote, but restricting them from running for various leadership positions in local government and general elections.

According to section 5 (1) of the United Republic of Tanzania's constitution, every citizen who has attained the age of eighteen is entitled to vote in any election held in Tanzania.

Meanwhile, section 48 (1) (a) of the constitution outlines the qualifications for a member of parliament, stating that a citizen of the United Republic who has attained the age of twenty-one and can read and write in Kiswahili or English is eligible.

This issue is also addressed in section 59 of the principal legislation of the 2024 Presidential, Parliamentary, and Councillor Election Act, which continues the restriction on 18-20-year-olds from running for offices.

This restriction has sparked debates among political analysts, political parties, and stakeholders, with some believing that the current arrangement is appropriate and others advocating for the inclusion of this age group in leadership positions, such as local government, councillor, and parliamentary roles.

Speaking to the Political Platform, a political scientist from the University of Dodoma (UDOM), Dr Paul Loisulie, expressed that the current arrangement is reasonable because allowing young people to vote prepares them for future leadership roles, as it is the stage when they transition from childhood.

“We are not in a hurry to give them leadership positions because they need time to learn gradually instead of rushing and giving them positions when they are not yet capable. However, if we let them learn slowly, they can become better leaders in the future,” he noted.

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CUF's Director of Protocol, Communications, and Foreign Affairs, Mr Mohamed Ngulangwa, stated that it is appropriate for young people of this age to have the right to vote but be denied the right to be elected, as responsibilities often align with age. This is why even older people are not given leadership positions.

“The issue is not just age; it’s about how that age can contribute to the performance of the individual when they are a leader. We believe that young people are not yet mature enough but have the capability to at least choose leaders. We also believe that older people have knowledge but lack the energy and speed to lead effectively due to their age,” he explained.

He emphasised that allowing young people to vote is part of gradually teaching them how to enter into leadership, and it is not about denying them their rights or oppressing them in any way.

For his part, a lecturer in political science and public administration at the State University of Zanzibar (Suza), Prof Ali Makame Ussi, stated that it is currently appropriate not to give young people of this age the opportunity to run and be elected because, based on our lifestyle systems, they still do not have the authority to be independent, starting from the family level.

“If we do so, we might end up with leaders who make decisions emotionally instead of considering the interests of all groups, not just young people,” he said.

He continued: “They should be prepared to become leaders capable of making decisions in the nation’s interest, as political parties do with their youth wings, instead of suddenly allowing them to enter leadership without giving them enough time to learn.”

On the opposing side, Tanzania Constitution Forum (TCF) board chairperson, Dr Ananilea Nkya, believes that young people of this age can be excellent leaders, possibly even better than the current situation where people are given the opportunity to run based on their age and the ability to read and write.

“This current arrangement does not help us get good leaders by considering age criteria more than looking at the knowledge and ability of a person to lead,” she said.

She went on to say that there has been unjustified discrimination in leadership matters, including age and money.

“That means young people with the zeal and awareness to lead their country in these basic levels of leadership (local government chairmanship, councillor, and parliament) are denied opportunities for reasons that are not substantial. Instead, we give opportunities to older people with primary school education to lead us, expecting positive results in their leadership years. This is self-deception,” she said.

Similarly, Dr Richard Mbunda, a political science lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, stated that the current arrangement is illogical regarding age, as recognizing an 18-year-old as mature means they should be given the opportunity to enjoy the right to run for office and demonstrate their leadership skills. If possible, they should be given the opportunity to lead because leadership involves knowledge and skills.

According to him, even the age limit for the presidency, which restricts individuals below 40, is not appropriate because many people below that age have great potential to lead the nation but are not given the opportunity due to these baseless procedures that believe age correlates with leadership ability.

“There is a belief that this is the correct procedure, but it is a procedure that does not benefit us in any way because it is based on the beliefs of some people rather than logically explaining why a certain age is not appropriate for someone to run for office. Many young people of that age are in higher education levels, which is fundamentally more education than what is outlined in the qualifications for candidates (having primary school education). How can you deny an educated person the opportunity to run and give it to an uneducated person based on the sole criterion of age and still see it as fair? It cannot be right to associate age with a matter that requires knowledge and skills like leadership,” he explained.

On top of that, Dr Onesmo Kyauke, a political analyst from University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), said that if an 18-year-old is allowed to make decisions about who should be the next leader by voting, it means that they are trusted to have enough judgment to decide who has the qualities of a leader and who should be given the respective position.

He said it would be better if the right to vote is given, then the right to be elected should also be given because if someone has the judgment to choose, they can also have the judgment to lead and should be given the opportunity to run for election just like other leaders who ask them to choose.

“The rights to choose and be chosen should go hand in hand because both involve one thing: knowledge and the judgment to know the qualities of a good leader. If a person has reached the point where we trust them to see a good leader among the candidates, it means that if given the opportunity, they can show us their capability in that matter and do well in leading, perhaps even better than the leaders we believe are good because of their age,” he noted.

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For his part, Chadema’s Director of Protocol, Communications, and Foreign Affairs, Mr. John Mrema, stated that it is not fair for young people of that age to be denied the opportunity to run for office because there is no scientific difference in maturity between a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old. It is a flaw that arises from the beliefs of policy and law makers in the country, believing that leadership is a matter of age.

“Our young people, this is the right time for them to learn about leadership, especially at the local government and village levels, so that they can become better leaders. However, it is surprising that we deny our young people the opportunity for reasons that are not substantial, more than baseless beliefs about the relationship between age and the ability to lead,” he shared.

He added: “It is time to realize that some policies and laws are outdated and need to be repealed to leave our society more free to get opportunities and use them for the overall development of the country, rather than making decisions that privatize leadership opportunities for some people and leave out other potential individuals in important matters like leadership.”

ACT-Wazalendo General Secretary, Mr Ado Shaibu shares that for local government elections, parliamentary, and councillor positions, there is no reason to prevent young people from running and holding these positions because choosing requires understanding, and leading requires understanding too.”

“It is the right time to remove these clauses from our laws to give young people the opportunity to run and hold these leadership positions,” he said.

“There are many young people who have the qualifications to run and bring significant developmental changes in the country, but they are denied the opportunity according to the law,” he said.