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President for life facts for kids

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

A President for life is a special title given to or taken by some leaders. It means they get to be president until they die, instead of for a set number of years. Sometimes, these leaders can even choose who will take over after them.

When a leader uses the title "president for life" instead of a traditional king or queen title, it often means they are changing how a democratic government works. Even though a country might still be called a republic, it might not be truly democratic anymore. For example, some leaders who became president for life, like Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe in Haiti, later even made themselves kings!

What is an Autocrat?

A president for life often acts like an autocrat. An autocrat is a ruler who has complete power and makes all the decisions. They don't usually share power or listen to others.

Many leaders who called themselves president for life did not actually rule until they died. Most were removed from power before then. Some died while still in office. However, a few did manage to rule until their natural deaths. These include 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.

Sometimes, long-serving leaders who have a lot of power are mistakenly called presidents for life. But they were never officially given that title. They might have had elections, but these were often not fair. These elections were set up to make sure they won every time.

Leaders Who Became President for Life

Here are some examples of leaders who were named "President for Life" or a similar title:

  • Toussaint Louverture (French Saint-Domingue, 1801): He was named Governor for Life but was later removed from power.
  • Henri Christophe (Haiti, 1807): He became President for Life, then later became a King.
  • José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (Paraguay, 1816): He was called the "Perpetual Supreme Dictator" and ruled until he died.
  • Alexandre Pétion (Haiti, 1816): He was President for Life and died while in office.
  • Jean-Pierre Boyer (Haiti, 1818): He became President for Life right after Pétion, but was later removed from power.
  • Antonio López de Santa Anna (Mexico, 1853): He was President for Life but later resigned.
  • Rafael Carrera (Guatemala, 1854): He was President for Life and ruled until he died.
  • Adolf Hitler (Germany, 1934): He was called "Chancellor and Führer for life" and died while in office.
  • Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II (Samoa, 1962): They were joint Heads of State for Life. This role was mostly ceremonial, and Samoa is a democracy.
  • Sukarno (Indonesia, 1963): He was named President for Life, but this title was later removed, and he was removed from power.
  • Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana, 1964): He was President for Life but was removed from power in 1966.
  • François Duvalier (Haiti, 1964): Known as "Papa Doc," he was President for Life and ruled until he died. He even named his son as his successor.
  • Jean-Claude Duvalier (Haiti, 1971): Known as "Baby Doc," he took over from his father but was later removed from power.
  • Hastings Banda (Malawi, 1971): He was President for Life, but this title was removed in 1993, and he lost an election in 1994.
  • Jean-Bédel Bokassa (Central African Republic, 1972): He was President for Life, but then he made himself an Emperor! He was later removed from power.
  • Francisco Macías Nguema (Equatorial Guinea, 1972): He was President for Life but was removed from power in 1979.
  • Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines, 1973): He was President for Life, but this title was removed in 1981, and he was later removed from power.
  • Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia, 1974): He was appointed President for Life and ruled until he died.
  • Habib Bourguiba (Tunisia, 1975): He was President for Life but was removed from power in 1987.
  • Idi Amin (Uganda, 1976): He was President for Life but was removed from power in 1979.
  • Lennox Sebe (Ciskei, 1983): He was President for Life but was removed from power in 1990.
  • Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenistan, 1999): He was President for Life and ruled until he died.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Presidente vitalicio para niños

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