History Main / PermanentElectedOfficial

JustTheFirstCitizen is often when the dictator poses as this. It may also lead to a HereditaryRepublic.

'''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' In RealLife democracies, it is not even possible to be elected "permanently" into office considering that the official has to go through re-elections and all that, especially if the office in question has term limits. One could stay in office for a long time if there are no term limits on his position, although the official still have to have a good approval rating to stay put. This isn't even going into recall votes and impeachment. The only official that can perhaps stay "permanently" in office would be a full-fledged dictator (many of whom do hold sham elections to get "re-elected" periodically), and dictators are not what this trope is about. [[noreallife]]

* The Chief Judge of Mega City One in ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'', who were nominated by the Council of Five at first, then by an election held among the Senior Judges. While later on at least ''some'' checks and balances were added in that an obviously corrupt Chief Judge could be deposed either by the [[InternalAffairs Special Judicial Squad]] or another Judge could decide to run against them for the position, terrible Chief Judges like [=McGruder=] and Cal were basically unremovable (because the former had dissolved the Council of Five, while the latter ran the SJS too), only vacating either of their own volition or by force. Averted by the Mayor, which anyone could run for, but the office itself is almost completely powerless.

** [[HotLibrarian Monique Diamond]], finance advisor from VideoGame/SimCity 4 is particularly egregious with implications of embezzlement. She's not complaining; it's also implied she's skimming money off the top herself.

*** It is also possible to get fired in most versions of VideoGame/SimCity 2000 and 3000.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' games comes to mind... no matter how many centuries pass, no matter how many revolutions rage through the lands, YOU are always the guy who's in charge when the smoke clears - whether that means being the 'democratically-elected' President, Prime Minister, Glorious Dictator, or High Priest of the Church of You. It is, however, implied in a few events in Civ IV that the actual rulers do change over time (it's even possible in a monarchy for the ruling family to die out and be replaced with someone completely different, whom we never see), which would make the leaders and the player more representations.

* Richard Nixon in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' is now on his 6th term as president (4 as Earth president and 2 as US president.)

** In later VideoGame/SimCity games, you are known as "Mayor Defacto". They've come to terms with your eternal rule, and have just accepted it.

* In ''Literature/PerryRhodan'', the eponymous character in his function as "Grand Administrator", i.e. head of state, of the Solar Empire is a somewhat odd example. There's no hint that he ''couldn't'' in principle have been voted out of office at any time, and in fact there are occasional side plots dealing with intrigues surrounding an election while other things are also going on -- yet for the entire existence of the Empire he just seems to have ultimately gotten reelected every time. (Granted, for somebody who's biologically immortal old age isn't much of a reason for retirement, and after the first hundred years or so it would be kind of hard for most people to beat him in terms of sheer experience on the job.)

* A pretty rare heroic version appears on ''FanFic/CoreLine'' with the Governor of Michigan. The fact that he's an AlternateSelf of [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Optimus Prime]] (and thus one of the greatest definitions of "BigGood" out there, not to mention a robot that will probably outlive almost everybody living on the state barring hostile action, which means people know he'll be around for a long time) made the decision easier. This is also a very rare instance where the "democratically elected" part is not said ironically--''the people of Michigan '''chose to make him Governor For Life'''.''

* Played with in ''Literature/EndersGame''. The office of Hegemon of Earth is a permanent position, at least when Peter is elected. However, he spends the early years of his administration setting up the government so that he would be the last Hegemon, with the OneWorldGovernment transitioning to a more conventional democracy.

* OlderThanRadio: The character translated as Mayor in Gogol's ''The Inspector General'' (1836), who is a powerful CorruptHick with more powers than a mayor would be thought of as having. This being Czarist Russia, there was neither a press nor was central bureaucracy as strong as today. Of course he had more power than a mayor of a comparable town today.

* The Commdors of the Republic of Korell in Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''{{Foundation}}'' are a ''dynasty'' of these.

* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'': When the Night Vale city council comes up for election the Sheriff's secret police take hostages to ensure people vote "correctly". The mayor doesn't enjoy the same job security, however, as within the first year of the podcast Mayor Pamela Winchell announces that she is leaving office at the end of the year and elections are held, and that she [[SuspiciouslySpecficiDenial certainly was not]] leaving because the council demanded it.

->'''Birch Barlow''': You know, there are three things we're never going to get rid of here in Springfield. One: the bats in the public library. Two: Mrs. [=McFierly=]'s compost heap. And three, our six-term mayor: the illiterate, tax-cheating, wife-swapping, pot-smoking, spendocrat "Diamond" Joe Quimby.\\
'''Mayor Quimby''' (while watering pot plants in his office): Hey! [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne I am no longer illiterate!]]
-->-- "Sideshow Bob Roberts", ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

!! Examples:

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Mayor Papazoni of ''{{Anime/Pecola}}'' definitely fits into this mold. He is fond of giving long-winded speeches, but then simply pops into one of his many hidey-holes whenever somebody questions what he's going to actually ''do'' for the town. They state that the only reason that he keeps getting elected is because nobody else will take the job.

[[folder:Film]]

--> '''Sanchez''': ''Remember, you're only President...[[ShameIfSomethingHappened for]] ''[[ShameIfSomethingHappened life]]''.''

[[folder:Live Action Television]]
* Boss Hogg in ''TheDukesOfHazzard'' is the County Commissioner, and completely corrupt. Nobody ever runs against him for commissioner, though. (Ditto for Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane, thanks to BetterTheDevilYouKnow.)
** Probably helps that he owns the bank and everyone's mortgages.

* In ''{{Rifts}}'', there's Karl Prosek, of the [[TheEmpire Coalition States]]. He was elected Chairman after the death of the previous head, his father. He then secretly started a grass roots campaign that got him elected Emperor-for-Life. He's not incompetent, nor is he corrupt, but under his reign, the Coalition has become more and more intolerant of [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman non-humans]] and magic users, and its populace has become more and more ignorant and xenophobic. In a way, he's actually worse than an outright tyrant, because he's convinced the citizens of the Coalition that his draconian measures are for their own protection, and they cheerfully obey his every wish.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Mayor Jeb from ''MenInHats'', a totally incompetent CorruptHick. As Aram puts it, [[http://www.meninhats.com/d/20031121.html "Why the hell do we keep voting for this guy?"]]
* {{Justified}} in ''Webcomic/ThreeApples''. After the 'Chrysalis Incident', Princess Celestia created a 'Mandate of Heaven' that magically bound officials like Mayor Mare to their positions. Ironically, the very existence of that spell meant that [[spoiler:the Thief's Crystal could twist it to its own ends]].

* The eponymous mayor of ''TomGoesToTheMayor'', who has remained in office for twelve years due to a combination of family connections, low voter turnout, and a bizarre local law giving mayors thirteen-year terms.

* In the film version of ''HortonHearsAWho'', the Mayor of Whoville is revealed to be an inherited position, which implies this. Of course, Mayor seems to be just ceremonial, as the City Council seems to hold all the political power.

** Ditto in ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', where the leader of the faction is always the same. However, this is slightly justified in the ExpandedUniverse where the leaders undergo periodic life extension treatments. Also, unlike ''Civilization'', the factions in SMAC are based in ideology, which would make sense that they'd want to keep the founders of the ideology in power. Also, in case of Yang, his StateSec makes sure he stays in power. Also subverted in an ExpandedUniverse novel, where Yang gets arrested and put in jail for his atrocities and his political rival Jin Long is put in his place... except Long is actually a clone of Yang and takes Yang's name for political reasons and marries Yang's daughter.
** Also same in ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'', no matter what the leader's title may be or the government of the faction, they're in office the whole game. Elections simply determine whether your political party leads the senate. And if your leader doesn't have a specific title AI players will refer to you as "Emperor", implying Republics and later governments are actually Constitutional Monarchies.

* Richard Nixon in {{WesternAnimation/Futurama}} is now on his 6th term as president (4 as Earth president and 2 as US president.)

* The DS games DrawnToLife seem to mistake a mayor for a king. As apparently when the mayor will eventually die, his daughter will then become mayor.

'''Mayor Quimby''' (while watering pot plants in his office): Hey! I am no longer illiterate!

* The ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' games comes to mind... no matter how many centuries pass, no matter how many revolutions rage through the lands, YOU are always the guy who's in charge when the smoke clears - whether that means being the 'democratically-elected' President, Prime Minister, Glorious Dictator, or High Priest of the Church of You...

* The president in ''Film/EscapeFromLA'' got the constitution amended so he could stay in office for life. Impeachment probably isn't an option considering America's a stone's throw away from a complete theocracy.

* Boss Hogg in ''TheDukesOfHazzard'' is the County Commissioner, and completely corrupt. Nobody ever runs against him for commissioner, though. (Ditto for Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane.)

'''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' %%In RealLife democracies, it is not even possible to be elected "permanently" into office considering that the official has to go through re-elections and all that, especially if the office in question has term limits. One could stay in office for a long time if there are no term limits on his position, although the official still have to have a good approval rating to stay put. This isn't even going into recall votes and impeachment. The only official that can perhaps stay "permanently" in office would be a full-fledged dictator (many of whom do hold sham elections to get "re-elected" periodically), and dictators are not what this trope is about.%%

* ''ThePowerpuffGirls'': The Mayor of Townsville is a completely incompetent moron but manages to stay in office. One episode revealed that this is because no one ever runs against him - though he insists on campaigning anyway which annoys everyone so much that when Fuzzy Lumpkins tells him to shut up, the people vote him the new mayor despite the fact that he never actually enters the mayoral race. Of course Fuzzy turns out to be even worse so the girls get the old Mayor to take his job back.