Home > President for Life
President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to ensure that their authority or legitimacy is never questioned. 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, especially those in post-colonial Africa, have adopted similar titles.
Ironically, most leaders who proclaim themselves President for Life do not in fact successfully serve a life term. Most are deposed long before their death although some, such as François Duvalier and Josip Broz Tito, have managed to run out the clock.
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 Sabès dit Pétion of HaitiHaiti is a country situated on the western third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba; the Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti. A former French colony, it was one of the first countries of the Americas, after the Unit ( 1808Events January 1 Importation of slaves into the United States is banned February 11 Anthracite coal first burned as fuel, experimentally. February Russia issues an ultimatum to Sweden, to join France, Denmark and Russia and attacks Finland. March 26 Charl) - died in office 18181818 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events February 12 Chile gains its independence from Spain March 11 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is published March 22 Easter Sunday falls on its earliest possible date. The next time Easter will fall this early:.
- José Gaspar Rodríguez de FranciaJose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia y Velasco ( 1766 December 25 1840) was the first leader of an independent Paraguay, which he ran without outside interference from 1814-1840. Although his father, a native of Sao Paulo, was simply Garcia Rodriguez Francia, of ParaguayThe Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked republic in South America. Lying on both banks of the Paraguay River, it borders Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the northeast and Bolivia to the northwest. The name "Paraguay" is derived from the G ( 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.
- François Duvalier of Haiti ( 1964) - died in office 1971.
- Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi ( 1971) - defeated in elections 1994.
- 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.
Current
