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President for Life
- 133 statements
- 25 feature instances
- 19 referencing feature instances
| President for Life | type |
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| President for Life | label |
President for Life | |
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PresidentForLife | |
| President for Life | comment |
This is when a dictator tries to make sure they are in power permanently by taking the title "President For Life", making them a de facto monarch who happens to have a republican title. This does not include leaders who simply happened to expire before their predefined terms did. Nor does it include leaders who served multiple terms via show (or, in some cases, legitimate) elections where there was no other candidate. This is about doing away with elections or term limits altogether. Definitely a sign of a People's Republic of Tyranny, and very often a President Evil. Whether they actually serve for the rest of their lives is quite another question — as is how long they live after attaining such a position. This makes distinguishing between "republic" and "monarchy" (especially if the dictator is President For Life of a Hereditary Republic) a Royal Mess (e.g. Samoa's entry in the Real Life section), and there have been cases of a President For Life crossing that line and declaring himself King or Emperor, becoming a Monarch in name as well (Jean-Bedel Bokassa of the Central African Republic/Empire is the most recent example). A subtrope of In It for Life. Compare: The Generalissimo and Just the First Citizen, with which there is often overlap (especially the former). Contrast Permanent Elected Official. A President for life should always remember that he or she Only Serves for Life. If a President for life remains as a ruler even after they died, it becomes The Necrocracy. If someone is effectively permanently in charge while ostensibly representing someone else, they may be a Regent for Life. Examples |
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Dropped link to UrExample: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| President for Life | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| President for Life / int_180976d7 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_180976d7 | comment |
In Julian Comstock, term limits for the President have been abolished and most of the checks on his power such as the Supreme Court and House of Representatives have been dismantled. Technically every President is elected to every term, but the majority of the population doesn't get to cast their own ballot, with their feudal landlord voting on their behalf, and every President runs essentially unopposed. The post is also de facto hereditary, Julian himself becomes at least the third Comstock to serve as President by the end of the book. | |
| President for Life / int_180976d7 | featureApplicability |
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| Julian Comstock | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_2ddf611 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_2ddf611 | comment |
In Dark Sun, Balic is a republic, but the office of dictator is for life. And Dictator Andropinis is an immortal Sorcerous Overlord, so he won't be leaving office any time soon. | |
| President for Life / int_2ddf611 | featureApplicability |
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| Dark Sun (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_40809984 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_40809984 | comment |
Coreline has a downplayed (and rare heroic, and even more rare having had the "for life" part elected by the public with full informed consent) example with the Governor-For-Life of Michigan: Optimus Prime. | |
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| Coreline (Fanfic) | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_436883f7 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_436883f7 | comment |
In Twilight at the Well of Souls, Marquoz is re-made by the Well into a Hakazit, a species of large, powerful, reptilian warriors. The Hakazit have a truly unique form of government: The Supreme Lord is an absolute dictator who rules for as long as he lives - but the office is passed on only by Klingon Promotion, and every other Hakazit in the entire hex spends their spare time trying to find a way to assassinate him and become Supreme Lord in turn. The current Supreme Lord is fifty-seven years old and has held the position a little over three years. In his lifetime there have been sixty-six other Supreme Lords. The historical record for holding the position is nine years, three months, sixteen days, five hours, forty-one minutes. | |
| President for Life / int_436883f7 | featureApplicability |
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| Well World | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_45a1bc04 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_45a1bc04 | comment |
In Flashpoint (1999), JFK was elected to a tenth term and is still in power by the time of the story. | |
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| Flashpoint (1999) (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_45a1bc04 | |
| President for Life / int_4c095a1f | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_4c095a1f | comment |
The Transformers: Abdul Fakkadi, Supreme Military Commander, President-for-Life, and King of Kings of Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya. | |
| President for Life / int_4c095a1f | featureApplicability |
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| The Transformers | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_6e73440d | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_6e73440d | comment |
The Victors Project: Much like his eventual successor, Coriolanus Snow, President Lucius rules for 3-5 decades without having to do something as trivial as run for reelection. Most if not all of the Presidents between Snow and Lucius are also this, albeit because their presidencies, and their lives, are pretty short-lived. | |
| President for Life / int_6e73440d | featureApplicability |
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| President for Life / int_6e73440d | featureConfidence |
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| The Victors Project / Fan Fic | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_6e73440d | |
| President for Life / int_7f5bc680 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_7f5bc680 | comment |
Subverted in Fallout: Aradesh was the leader of Shady Sands, and, after its founding, the New California Republic, until his death, and was succeeded by his daughter Tandi, who stayed in office for 52 years before dying in office at age 103. However, there were no overt military or legal shenanigans behind this; the NCR never got around to instituting a term limit, but regular and reasonably fair elections were held, and Aradesh and Tandi were both competent and popular enough to consistently win. | |
| President for Life / int_7f5bc680 | featureApplicability |
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| Fallout | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_7f5bc680 | |
| President for Life / int_810d4160 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_810d4160 | comment |
Exiles: The Iron Man of one world Weapon X get sent to has become this, thanks to several decades of manipulation meaning everyone was grateful when Tony Stark humbly agreed to be president for life of what was left of America, after saving it from two wars and a virulent disease. Both of which he caused. Weapon X's job is setting in motion the events that lead to his death. | |
| President for Life / int_810d4160 | featureApplicability |
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| Exiles / Comicbook | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_812165e3 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_812165e3 | comment |
Possible in the Tropico series, but the risk is civil unrest once the people decide that they really want free elections again. That said, El Presidente can still easily stuff the ballot box, so long as doing so doesn't verge into a Revealing Cover-Up. | |
| President for Life / int_812165e3 | featureApplicability |
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| Tropico (Video Game) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_812165e3 | |
| President for Life / int_87b55b5d | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_87b55b5d | comment |
In the wake of the Charlie Foxtrot that was the 2000 US Presidential Election, The Onion had Bill Clinton declaring himself President For Life amidst civil war in Florida and beyond. | |
| President for Life / int_87b55b5d | featureApplicability |
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| The Onion (Website) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_87b55b5d | |
| President for Life / int_883bd0f0 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_883bd0f0 | comment |
In Licence to Kill, Big Bad Sanchez warns the president of the Banana Republic that he's "only President for life". | |
| President for Life / int_883bd0f0 | featureApplicability |
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| President for Life / int_883bd0f0 | featureConfidence |
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| Licence to Kill | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_883bd0f0 | |
| President for Life / int_971ef6be | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_971ef6be | comment |
Calvin and Hobbes: Calvin calls himself Supreme Dictator and President for Life of G.R.O.S.S. Only until Hobbes declares himself King and Tyrant, at which point Calvin decides that's what he wants to be instead. |
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| President for Life / int_971ef6be | featureApplicability |
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| Calvin and Hobbes (Comic Strip) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_971ef6be | |
| President for Life / int_9b44108b | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_9b44108b | comment |
In New Deal Coalition Retained, Augusto Pinochet — who had been ruling Chile with increasingly authoritarian measures during World War III — uses the chaos and instability in South America following the war's conclusion as an excuse to dissolve Parliament, suspend elections, and declare himself President for life. Shortly thereafter, he dies in a suspicious accident. | |
| President for Life / int_9b44108b | featureApplicability |
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| New Deal Coalition Retained | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_9b44108b | |
| President for Life / int_a8729c90 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_a8729c90 | comment |
In a less serious example, the Mayor in The Fairly OddParents! during a speech once proclaimed himself Mayor for Life, to the surprise of the citizens. | |
| President for Life / int_a8729c90 | featureApplicability |
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| President for Life / int_a8729c90 | featureConfidence |
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| The Fairly OddParents! | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_a8729c90 | |
| President for Life / int_ac4932d7 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_ac4932d7 | comment |
Same case with President Alma Coin in Mockingjay, who rules out elections by declaring herself "interim president." Katniss quickly figures out that she has no intention to cede power. | |
| President for Life / int_ac4932d7 | featureApplicability |
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| President for Life / int_ac4932d7 | featureConfidence |
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| Mockingjay | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_ac4932d7 | |
| President for Life / int_d31cdea | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_d31cdea | comment |
The Hunger Games: There are no elections in Panem, so President Coriolanus Snow rules for life. Same case with President Alma Coin in Mockingjay, who rules out elections by declaring herself "interim president." Katniss quickly figures out that she has no intention to cede power. |
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| President for Life / int_d31cdea | featureApplicability |
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| The Hunger Games | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_d31cdea | |
| President for Life / int_d3907802 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_d3907802 | comment |
In the future of Marvel 1602, the US gets a President-for-Life as a Hero Killer dictator (strongly implied to be Zebediah Kilgrave, the Purple Man), prompting Captain America to travel back in time. | |
| President for Life / int_d3907802 | featureApplicability |
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| Marvel 1602 / Comicbook | hasFeature |
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| President for Life / int_d69208d2 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_d69208d2 | comment |
In Codename: Kids Next Door, Gallagher Elementary's Fourth Grade President Jimmy tacks "For Life" onto his title after turning evil. | |
| President for Life / int_d69208d2 | featureApplicability |
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| Codename: Kids Next Door | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_d69208d2 | |
| President for Life / int_d8d79afa | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_d8d79afa | comment |
Escape from L.A. has a hyper-religious President of the US, who gets elected solely because one of his rants happens to come true quite by accident. Somehow, he gains enough support from the legislature and the people to amend the Constitution to get him declared this trope. He then proceeds to move the capital to his hometown, launch a network of Kill Sats, and make anything he doesn't like illegal (such as red meat, smoking, drinking, premarital sex, etc.). Anybody who doesn't agree gets deported to Los Angeles (which is separate from mainland US) or gets sent to the electric chair. | |
| President for Life / int_d8d79afa | featureApplicability |
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| Escape from L.A. | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_d8d79afa | |
| President for Life / int_dc1bbe1e | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_dc1bbe1e | comment |
In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, this is how Coin ultimately seeks to guarantee her power, making herself "interim" President, with a proper election being postponed indefinitely. When Katniss understands this, she makes sure it's a short term by killing her. | |
| President for Life / int_dc1bbe1e | featureApplicability |
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| President for Life / int_dc1bbe1e | featureConfidence |
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| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_dc1bbe1e | |
| President for Life / int_e235270c | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_e235270c | comment |
In Stellaris after "government forms" were introduced, the Dictatorial government form is this: A ruler chosen by "oligarchic election" whenever the previous ruler dies. | |
| President for Life / int_e235270c | featureApplicability |
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| Stellaris (Video Game) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_e235270c | |
| President for Life / int_e3ce3877 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_e3ce3877 | comment |
Ric Flair became President of WCW, and later declared himself President For Life. | |
| President for Life / int_e3ce3877 | featureApplicability |
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| President for Life / int_e3ce3877 | featureConfidence |
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| Ric Flair (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_e3ce3877 | |
| President for Life / int_e5c5bc22 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_e5c5bc22 | comment |
GURPS Cyberworld: The US presidency has become one of these after the then-incumbent is "forced" to suspend the Constitution and declare a state of emergency. Officially the title is "Provisional President", and free elections will be held as soon as the Provisional Government gets everything stabilized, but every four years the Provisional Congress automatically announces that elections will not be held. The current Provisional President referred to the situation as the "Permanent Emergency" when he took power, so do the math. | |
| President for Life / int_e5c5bc22 | featureApplicability |
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| GURPS (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_e5c5bc22 | |
| President for Life / int_f5799bd9 | type |
President for Life | |
| President for Life / int_f5799bd9 | comment |
In an episode of The Critic, where Jay Sherman's son dated Fidel Castro's granddaughter, Castro introduced himself to a group of schoolchildren as this. | |
| President for Life / int_f5799bd9 | featureApplicability |
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| The Critic | hasFeature |
President for Life / int_f5799bd9 |
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