The hospitalization of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who had a cerebral hemorrhage, raises concerns due to the president’s age. At 79 years old, the Brazilian chief executive will be the oldest leader of the G20, a group that brings together the world’s largest economies, after Joe Biden leaves the White House next month.
Currently Biden, 82, occupies the top of the group’s age pyramid. The issue was a central factor in this year’s American election and weighed against the Democrat’s candidacy. He ended up dropping out of the presidential race and was replaced by Kamala Harris, 60. Donald Trump, the winner, is 78 years old, one younger than Lula.
Narendra Modi, 74, the Prime Minister of India, appears next on the list of the longest-serving politicians in the G20. The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, 39, is the youngest.
Since the 2022 campaign, Lula has said that age is not a barrier to governing. Last month, he refuted the argument that he is too old to run for re-election in 2026, stating that he maintains good health and physical condition. And he indicated that the main thing is to have competence, not to be young.
Lula turned 79 in October. Just last month, he repeated his routine statement that he intends to live to 120 years old. He then said that he is not a candidate for re-election and that the 2026 election will only be discussed in two years. The Brazilian has also said several times that he has a “youthful boner”.
The Brazilian president will undergo a new procedure this Thursday (12) to stop the blood flow in a region of his brain and prevent further bleeding like the one he suffered this week.
The procedure is considered minimally invasive and recommended for neurologically stable patients. The expectation is that, as a result, new bleeding will not occur again, minimizing the risks for Lula.
“It’s a relatively simple intervention, to prevent new occurrences,” said the president’s doctor, Roberto Kalil Filho.
The president felt severe headaches on Monday night (9) and, after tests carried out at the Sírio-Libanês hospital, in Brasília, he was transferred to the São Paulo unit for emergency surgery. After the procedure, he was taken to the ICU, where he remains under observation.
THE LEADERS OF THE G20 COUNTRIES
82 years old – Joe Biden, President of the United States
79 – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil
78 – Donald Trump, president-elect of the United States
74 – Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
73 – Prabowo Subianto, president of Indonesia
72 – Vladimir Putin, president of Russia
72 – Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa
71 – Xi Jinping, leader of China
70 – Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Türkiye
67 – Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan
66 – Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Germany
63 – Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea
62 – Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico
62 – Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
61 – Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
54 – Javier Milei, president from Argentina
52 – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
47 – Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of Italy
46 – Emmanuel Macron, president of France
39 – Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
