A person who rules or holds significant power in a gerontocracy; an elderly person with political authority in a system where age confers power.
From gerontocracy + '-crat' (ruler, one who holds power). Identifies individuals who benefit from and hold authority in age-based power systems.
When a gerontocrat finally retires, it often triggers immediate institutional change—the Soviet Union transformed completely once Gorbachev replaced the elderly Politburo, showing how much one person's age controls a system.
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