Cuba’s National Assembly has approved a constitutional amendment removing the maximum age limit of 60 for presidential candidates, paving the way for older contenders to contest in future elections.
The reform, passed Friday by the island’s parliament and backed by the Council of State, retains the current two-term, five-year presidential limit and the minimum candidacy age of 35.
According to National Assembly President Esteban Lazo, the amendment allows individuals to run for office provided they are “in the full exercise of their physical and mental faculties, with… loyalty and revolutionary trajectory.”
Former President Raul Castro, 94, who remains a sitting member of the assembly, was the first to cast his vote in favour of the reform, which will take effect from the 2028 presidential elections.
Cuba’s current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, now 65, was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2023. The government has not named a preferred successor, leaving the door open to potential contenders under the revised rules.
The 2019 constitution originally introduced both term and age limits as part of efforts to modernise the political structure after six decades of rule by the Castro brothers—Fidel and Raúl. Fidel Castro handed over power to Raúl in 2006 due to health issues and died in 2016. Raúl became president in 2008 and stepped down as head of the Communist Party in 2021, transferring full leadership to Díaz-Canel.
The constitutional update comes at a time of deep economic hardship for the nation of nearly 10 million people. Cuba is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in three decades, marked by widespread shortages, power outages, and a record wave of emigration.
