President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to remove their term limit, in the hope that their authority, legitimacy, and term will never be disputed. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a persons name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. ... Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ... A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. ... In politics, authority (Latin auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to potestas and imperium) is often used interchangeably with the term power. However, their meanings differ. ... Legitimacy in political science, is the popular acceptance of a governing regime or law as an authority. ... A dissenting opinion is an opinion of one or more judges in an appellate court expressing disagreement with the majority opinion. ...

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. Originally, the office of dictator could only be held for six months. 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. Area under Roman control  Roman Republic  Roman Empire  Western Empire  Eastern Empire Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a city-state founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Gaius Julius Caesar [1] (Latin pronunciation ; English pronunciation ; July 12 or July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC), often simply referred to as Julius Caesar, was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ... Dictator was a political office of the Roman Republic. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 0s Years: 50 BC 49 BC 48 BC 47 BC 46 BC 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... --69. ...

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. However, some, such as Saparmurat Niyazov, José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, and Josip Broz Tito have managed to rule until their deaths. Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (Turkmen: , Russian: [Saparmurat Ataevič Niâzov]) (b. ... José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, El Supremo Dr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco (January 6, 1766 – September 20, 1840) was the first leader of Paraguay following its independence from Spain. ... Josip Broz Tito (Cyrillic: Јосип Броз Тито, May 7, 1892 (May 25th according to official birth certificate) – May 4, 1980) was the leader of the Second Yugoslavia, which lasted from 1943 until 1991. ...

Some very long-serving authoritarian presidents, such as Ferdinand Marcos, who were frequently thought of as examples of Presidents for Life, actually underwent periodic renewal of mandate but these are largely regarded as show elections. Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralín Marcos (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was the tenth president of the Philippines, serving from 1965 to 1986. ... A show election or a sham election is an election that is held purely for show, that is, without any significant political purpose. ...

Others made unsuccessful attempts to have themselves named President for Life, such as Mobutu Sese Seko in 1972.^[1] Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga (October 14, 1930 – September 7, 1997), known commonly as Mobutu, or Joseph Mobutu-Sese Seko, born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the dictator of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) for 32 years (1965–1997), in which he rose to... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

North Korea's president Kim Il-sung was never declared President for Life, but after his death the government amended the constitution to declare him "Eternal President". Kim Il-sung (15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was the leader of North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death, when he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. ...

Notably, George Washington rejected all attempts to make him President for Life. That particular institution, as designed by its proponents, was, however, quite dissimilar from the modern usage. George Washington (February 22, 1732–December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first President of the United States. ...

A President-for-life may be regarded as a de facto monarch. In fact, other than the title, political scientists often face difficulties in differentiating a state ruled by a president-for-life (especially one who inherits the job from a family dictatorship) and a monarchy. Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A family dictatorship, in political science terms a personalistic regime, is a form of dictatorship that operates much like an absolute monarchy, yet occurs in a nominally republican state. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A monarchy, from the Greek μονος, one, and αρχειν, to rule, is a form of government that has a monarch as head of state. ...

List of leaders who became President for Life

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

• Julius Caesar of the Roman Republic October, 49 BC – until assassination (March 15, 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) - became emperor, rescinded throne, died in office 1916.
• Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia (1974) - died in office 1980.
• Sukarno of Indonesia (1963) - deposed 1965.
• Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana (1964) - deposed 1966.
• François Duvalier of Haiti (1964) - died in office 1971, named his son as his successor (see below)
• Hastings Banda of Malawi (1971) - stripped of title 1993, 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.
• Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan (1999) - died in office 2006.

Gaius Julius Caesar [1] (Latin pronunciation ; English pronunciation ; July 12 or July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC), often simply referred to as Julius Caesar, was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Consuls: Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Crus, Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in leap years). ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 0s Years: 49 BC 48 BC 47 BC 46 BC 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... --69. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Alexandre Sabès Pétion (April 2, 1770 – March 29, 1818) was President of the southern Republic of Haiti from 1806 until his death. ... 1808 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, El Supremo Dr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco (January 6, 1766 – September 20, 1840) was the first leader of Paraguay following its independence from Spain. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Yuan Shikai in military uniform Yuan Shikai (Courtesy Weiting 慰亭; Pseudonym: Rongan 容庵 Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Yüan Shih-kai) (September 16, 1859[1] – June 6, 1916) was a Chinese military official and politician during the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Josip Broz Tito (Cyrillic: Јосип Броз Тито, May 7, 1892 (May 25th according to official birth certificate) – May 4, 1980) was the leader of the Second Yugoslavia, which lasted from 1943 until 1991. ... Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian Government Socialist republic President  - 1945 - 1953 Ivan Ribar  - 1991 Stjepan Mesić Prime Minister  - 1945 - 1963 Josip Broz Tito  - 1989 - 1991 Ante Marković Historical era Cold War  - Proclamation November 29, 1943  - UN membership October 24, 1945  - Constitution February 21, 1974  - dissolution June 25... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Sukarno (June 6, 1901 – June 21, 1970) was the first President of Indonesia. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Kwame Nkrumah with Martin Luther King, Jr. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1902? – November 25, 1997) was the founding President and former President for Life of Malawi. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Emperor Bokassa I, also known as Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa and Jean-Bédel Bokassa (IPA: , (February 22, 1921–November 3, 1996), was the military ruler of the Central African Republic from January 1, 1966 and the emperor of the Central African Empire from December 4, 1976, until his overthrow... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Francisco Macías Nguema This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Habib Bourguiba - 1980 Habib Ben Ali Bourguiba (Arabic: حبيب بورقيبة) (born August 3, 1903 in Monastir, Tunisia – died April 6, 2000) was a Tunisian statesman and the first President of the Republic of Tunisia from July 25, 1957 to November 7, 1987. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Idi Amin Dada (c. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Lennox Leslie Wongamu Sebe was chief minister of the Xhosa bantustan of Ciskei, and the countrys first president. ... Ciskei Flag of Ciskei Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (Turkmen: , Russian: [Saparmurat Ataevič Niâzov]) (b. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

In fiction

• In Marvel 1602, the Purple Man becomes the United States' President-for-life.

Cover to 1602 #8, featuring Rojhaz (top left), Virginia Dare (top right), and Sir Nicholas Fury (lower center). ... The Purple Man (real name Zebediah Killgrave) is a recurring Marvel Comics supervillain. ...

Notes