President for life

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Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, depicting "eternal leaders" of North Korea, President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il. Mansudae-Monument-Bow-2014.jpg
Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, depicting "eternal leaders" of North Korea, President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

President for life is a title assumed by or granted to some presidents to extend their tenure up until their death. The title sometimes confers on the holder the right to nominate or appoint a successor. The usage of the title of "president for life" rather than a traditionally autocratic title implies the subversion of liberal democracy by the titleholder (although republics need not be democratic per se ). Indeed, sometimes a president for life can proceed to establish a self-proclaimed monarchy, such as Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe in Haiti.

Contents

Autocracy

A president for life may be regarded as a de facto autocrat. [1] [2]

Many leaders who proclaimed themselves president for life have not in fact successfully gone on to serve a life term. Most were deposed before they died, and others achieved a lifetime presidency by being assassinated while in office. However, some have managed to rule until their natural deaths, including José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia of Paraguay, Alexandre Pétion and François Duvalier of Haiti, Rafael Carrera of Guatemala, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, and Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan. Others made unsuccessful attempts to have themselves named president for life, such as Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire in 1972. [3]

Some long-serving autocratic presidents are mistakenly described as presidents for life. They were never officially granted life terms and, in fact, stood periodically for reelection. However, in most cases, these were sham elections which guaranteed them re-election. [4] [5] [6]

List of leaders who became president for life

Note: The first date listed in each entry is the date of proclamation of the status as President for Life.

PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
CountryTitleTook officeLeft officeNotes
General Toussaint Louverture.jpg Toussaint Louverture
(1743–1803)
Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg French Saint-Domingue Governor for Life of Saint-Domingue18011802 Deposed 1802, died in exile in France 1803.
Henri Christophe.jpg Henri Christophe
(1767–1820)
Flag of Haiti (1806-1811).svg  Haiti President for Life of Haiti (Northern)18071811Became King 1811, committed suicide while reigning 1820.
Dr francia.JPG José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia
(1766–1840)
Flag of Paraguay (1812-1826).svg  Paraguay Perpetual Supreme Dictator of Paraguay18161840Died in office 1840.
Portrait du president Alexandre Petion (cropped).jpg Alexandre Pétion
(1770–1818)
Flag of Haiti (1820-1849, 1859-1964).svg  Haiti President for Life of Haiti (Southern)18161818Died in office 1818.
President Jean-Pierre Boyer.jpg Jean-Pierre Boyer
(1776–1850)
President for Life of Haiti18181843Became President for Life immediately upon assuming the office because Alexandre Pétion's constitution provided for a life presidency for all his successors, deposed 1843, died 1850.
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.jpg Antonio López de Santa Anna
(1794–1876)
Flag of Mexico (1823-1864, 1867-1893).svg  Mexico (Second Federal Republic)President for Life of Mexico18531855Resigned 1855, died 1876.
Carrerap02.jpg Rafael Carrera
(1814–1865)
Flag of Guatemala (1851-1858).svg Guatemala President for Life of Guatemala18541865Died in office 1865.
Hitler portrait crop.jpg Adolf Hitler
(1889–1945)
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Germany (Third Reich)Chancellor and Führer for life19341945 Committed suicide in office 1945.
Tupua Tamasese Mea`ole 1962 (cropped).jpg Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole
(1905–1963)
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa O le Ao o le Malo for Life of Samoa19621963Died in office 1963, elected to serve alongside Tanumafili II (see below). The position of O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) is ceremonial; executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister, and Samoa is a parliamentary democracy. [7]
Malietoa Tanumafili II (cropped).jpg Malietoa Tanumafili II
(1913–2007)
2007 Died in office 2007, elected to serve alongside Meaʻole (see above). [7]
Presiden Sukarno.jpg Sukarno
(1901–1970)
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia (Guided Democracy era)Supreme Commander, Great Leader of Revolution, Mandate Holder of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly, and President for Life of Indonesia19631966Designated as President for Life according to the Ketetapan MPRS No. III/MPRS/1963, [8] life term removed 1966, deposed 1967, died under house arrest 1970.
Kwame Nkrumah (JFKWHP-AR6409-A).jpg Kwame Nkrumah
(1909–1972)
Ghana flag 1964.svg  Ghana President for Life of Ghana19641966 Ousted in 1966, died in exile in Romania 1972.
Duvalier (cropped).jpg François "Papa Doc" Duvalier
(1907–1971)
Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg  Haiti President for Life of Haiti19641971 Died in office 1971, named his son as his successor (see below). [9]
Baby Doc (centree).jpg Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier
(1951–2014)
19711986Named by his father as successor (see above), deposed 1986, died 2014.
Dr HK Banda, first president of Malawi.jpg Hastings Banda
(1898–1997)
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi President for Life of Malawi19711993 Life term removed 1993, voted out of office 1994, died 1997.
Bokassa colored.png Jean-Bédel Bokassa
(1921–1996)
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic President for Life of the Central African Republic19721976 Became Emperor 1976 (crowned 1977), deposed 1979, died 1996.
Don Francisco Macias.jpg Francisco Macías Nguema
(1924–1979)
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea President for Life of Equatorial Guinea19721979 Deposed and executed 1979.
Ferdinand Marcos.JPEG Ferdinand Marcos
(1917–1989)
Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg  Philippines (Martial law regime)President for Life of the Philippines [Note 1] 19731981 Life term removed 1981, deposed 1986, died in exile 1989.
Josip Broz Tito uniform portrait.jpg Josip Broz Tito
(1892–1980)
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia President for Life of Yugoslavia19741980Appointed as President for Life according to the 1974 Constitution, died in office 1980.
Portrait officiel de Habib Bourguiba.png Habib Bourguiba
(1903–2000)
Flag of Tunisia (1959-1999).svg  Tunisia President for Life of Tunisia19751987 Deposed 1987, died under house arrest 2000.
Idi Amin at UN (United Nations, New York) gtfy.00132 (cropped).jpg Idi Amin
(1925–2003)
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda (Second Republic)President for Life of Uganda19761979 Deposed 1979, died in exile in Saudi Arabia 2003.
LENNOX SEBE PRESIDENT.jpg Lennox Sebe
(1926–1994)
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg South Africa
(Flag of Ciskei.svg  Ciskei)
President for Life of Ciskei19831990 Deposed 1990, died 1994.
Saparmurat Niyazov in 2002.jpg Saparmurat Niyazov
(1940–2006)
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan President for Life of Turkmenistan19992006 Died in office 2006.

Notes

  1. Although he never formally claimed the title of President For Life, Marcos used a declaration of martial law (Proclamation No. 1081) to extend his mandate indefinitely beyond the term limits set by the Philippine Constitution of 1935. This was formally done through promulgating a new Constitution in 1973, whose transitional provisions gave Marcos an interim presidential term that would only end when "he calls upon the Interim National Assembly to elect the interim President [who would succeed him]". By the time Marcos made use of this provision in 1981, the constitution was amended to re-establish direct presidential elections. In the ensuing 1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Marcos was re-elected for a term of six years.

    References

    1. Phillips, Tom (26 February 2018). "'Dictator for life': Xi Jinping's power grab condemned as step towards tyranny". The Guardian.
    2. "Xi Jinping Reveals Himself as an Autocrat". The Atlantic . 26 February 2018.
    3. Crawford Young and Thomas Turner, The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State, p. 211
    4. Snyder, Timothy (3 April 2018). The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America. Crown. p. 43. ISBN   9780525574460.
    5. Chivers, C.J. (February 8, 2008). "European Group Cancels Mission to Observe Russian Election, Citing Restrictions". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
    6. Kara-Murza, Vladimir Vladimirovich. "As the Kremlin Tightens the Screws, It Invites Popular Revolt". Spotlight on Russia. World Affairs Journal. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
    7. 1 2 "Constitution of the Independent State of Western Samoa 1960". University of the South Pacific. Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
    8. "Ketetapan MPRS No. III/MPRS/1963". hukumonline.com.
    9. The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Thought: Abol-impe. Oxford University Press. 2010-01-01. p. 328. ISBN   9780195334739.

    Further reading