Manifesto: Pass the Baton

Core message

What applies to the people should apply to those who lead them.

All over the world, people hand their work over to the next generation at a certain age. We ask leaders to do the same. Not out of distrust of older people, but out of respect for renewal.

Why: the problem

Around the world, many leaders are far past the age at which their citizens retire. This holds in democracies and in authoritarian regimes alike.

A double standard. A nurse, a builder or a teacher hands over their work. Those who decide over millions of lives often stay until the very end.
A short time horizon. Decisions on climate, debt and pensions mostly affect generations who will bear the consequences themselves.
Renewal is blocked. Those who never leave make no room for new ideas, new people and new energy.
Too little attention for the role. World leadership demands full commitment, every day. That is a heavy task at any age, and all the more so at an advanced age.

The demand

Anyone who has reached the statutory retirement age of their own country, and at the latest 67, does not start a new term in one of the highest offices.

Applies worldwide, in every country and under every regime, starting with the highest offices: head of state, head of government and ministers. In a second phase we extend it to other political offices.
Ties the limit to what the people already accept: the retirement age, with a worldwide ceiling of 67.
A term already under way may be completed. A new one is not started.
Ordinary citizens remain free to keep working. Those who lead a country carry a heavier responsibility and fall under a stricter norm, like pilots and judges.

Our principles

Equality. The same age norm for leaders as for the citizens they serve.
Respect. We are not against older people. Experience remains valuable, as adviser, mentor or ambassador.
Renewal. Passing the baton is an act of leadership, not a defeat.
Non-violence. We persuade; we never use force.
Independence. We take no side, left or right. The norm applies to everyone.

Answers to objections

Objection	Our answer
Age says nothing about the individual.	True, but we already accept a fixed limit for judges and pilots. A clear rule is fairer than debating every time who is still "fit enough".
This is age discrimination.	Everyone keeps the right to keep working. Only the highest office carries a stricter norm, because it affects millions of lives.
Voters must be free to choose.	Voters already accept limits, such as term limits and minimum ages. A maximum age is their logical counterpart.
Experience matters most in a crisis.	That experience doesn't disappear. Former leaders can advise, mediate and inspire without holding power.
In dictatorships the people have no voice.	That is why this must become a worldwide norm. The more self-evident it is elsewhere, the greater the pressure on those who evade it.

How we do it: symbol, moment, action

Symbol: the baton. A relay baton, as image, gesture or object. People pass it to each other online and in the street. Recognisable in every language and culture.
Hashtag: #PassTheBaton, with local variants such as #StokjeDoorgeven.
Moment: one worldwide action day a year. On the same day, people everywhere symbolically pass the baton, in squares, at work and online.
Faces. Young people as well as retirees who have already passed it on. This shows it is not young against old.
Local translation. Each country ties the demand to its own retirement age and its own leaders.
First steps. Start as soon as possible, in two phases: first online (manifesto, website with sign-up, hashtag), then a first physical action day once there are supporters in several countries.

Possible figureheads

A strong figurehead embodies the message. Profiles to approach:

Profile	Why it works
A former leader who stepped down voluntarily and early	Living proof that stepping down is an act of leadership. The strongest credibility.
A retiree who passed on the baton themselves	Proves this is not "young against old". Speaks to older voters.
A relay athlete	The baton is literally their craft. Well known, likeable and politically neutral.
A young activist or student	Brings energy and reach among young people and on social media.
A duo: one older, one younger	The image of passing it on itself. Possibly the strongest choice.

This text is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.