Interesting. I'm American but grew up overseas. Where I was growing up, Cô te d'Ivoire, we had a president-for-life, so all the years I was there, he was there. He didn't die till 1994, a very, very old man. He was HUGELY beloved, and I'm glad I wasn't there any more (we left in 1981) by then. What we've had since was a new pres (no idea what ceremonies there were but there was sure to be coverage), then I don't know, then in Dec. 1999 we had a kind of coup (the gendarmes rioted because they weren't getting paid, so the president thought he was being assassinated and fled the country). The general left kind of holding the reins immediately called for elections and said he didn't want to run the country. Then power corrupted and when the elections rolled around he (hey, interesting idea! WE would never have thought of it!) decided to declare victory before all the votes were counted, since the popular vote was obviously going the wrong way. At that point (this is THIS last December, I think) the populace took to the streets so HE thought he was going to be assassinated so HE fled the country and the guy that won the popular vote is now President (maybe we shoulda thunk of that). But things are going badly, there is tremendous tension between the south (mostly animists and christians) and the north (mostly moslem) and there is great fear in tbe bellies (I am quoting what I friend said to me) of the moslems I know down in Abidjan. The christians might kill them all, soon. I think (I know it wasn't the question) that the US still a slight edge on that, at least we aren't rioting, yet...