Beng Komboor, the Chairperson of Organizing Committee for the 3rd National Youth Convention. (Moyo Jacob)

The National Youth Union said Monday only young people below the age of 31 will be allowed to run for presidency in the forthcoming elections.

Beng Khomboor, the Chairperson of Organizing Committee for the 3^rd National Youth Convention said the constitution permits only young people within the age bracket of 18-31 to contest for the presidency.

The policy of age limit was introduced in 2019 following a controversy after some 45-years-olds and above reportedly ran the affairs of the union.

Speaking on Eye Radio’s Sundown Show on Monday, Khomboor invited youth who are interested to contest to present themselves to the Electoral Committee, but they must fall within the stipulated age bracket.

“We are operating from 18-35 and that’s the constitution we are working with. Assuming I ran this office while I was 26 and then by 30, my four years finish and I still have another four years to be in the office, I can still run,” he clarified.

“I want to encourage you from wherever you are sitting, you are a young person, as long as you are within the age bracket of 18-35. So, if you are falling within and if you want to be a chair by then, you have to be 31 so that by the time you finish your four years, you are just 35.”

“We don’t want someone to be 37 and still speaking that he is a youth leader, no. We must strictly make sure that we are within the youth age bracket.”

According to the Organizing Committee, there shall be balanced representation of gender and persons with disabilities.

This is to ensure social inclusion of the whole process in attaining “wide-ranging” governance.