President for Life
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President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to ensure that their authority, legitimacy, and term is never questioned or disputed.
The first well-known incident of a leader extending his term indefinitely was Roman dictator Julius Caesar, who made himself "Perpetual Dictator" (commonly mistranslated as 'Dictator-for-life') in 45 BC. His actions would later be mimicked by the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte who was appointed "First Consul for life" in 1802. Since then, many dictators have adopted similar titles.
Ironically, most leaders who have proclaimed themselves President for Life have not in fact gone on to successfully serve a life term. Most have been deposed long before their death although some, such as François Duvalier and Josip Broz Tito, have managed to run out the clock. The only current president for life, Saparmyrat Nyyazow, announced he could step down by 2010.
Some very long-serving authoritarian presidents, such as Fidel Castro, who are frequently thought of as examples of Presidents for Life, actually undergo periodic renewal of mandate but these are largely regarded as show elections. Ferdinand Marcos also fell into this category.
List of Leaders who became President for Life (with date of proclamation)
- Julius Caesar of Roman Republic (perpetual dictator 45 BC) - assassinated 44 BC.
- Napoleon Bonaparte of France (first consul for life 1802) - became emperor 1804 (deposed 1814).
- Alexandre Pétion of Haiti (1808) - died in office 1818.
- José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia of Paraguay (1816) - died in office 1840.
- Rafael Carrera of Guatemala (1854) - died in office 1865.
- Yuan Shikai of China (1915) - resigned under pressure 1916.
- Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia (1963) - died in office 1980.
- Sukarno of Indonesia (1963) - deposed 1967.
- Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana (1964) - deposed 1967.
- François Duvalier of Haiti (1964) - died in office 1971, named his son as his successor (see below).
- Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi (1971) - defeated in elections 1994.
- Jean-Claude Duvalier of Haiti (1971) - named by his father as successor, deposed 1986.
- Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic (1972) - became emperor 1976 (deposed 1979).
- Francisco Macías Nguema of Equatorial Guinea (1972) - deposed 1979.
- Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia (1975) - deposed 1987.
- Idi Amin of Uganda (1976) - defeated in war 1979.
- Lennox Sebe of Ciskei (1983) - deposed 1990.
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