Is There a Strong Presence of Narcissism Among Septuagenarian Leaders Past and Present?

His behavior parallels Robert Mugabe in that anyone who opposed him was punished by being sent to do hard work in the mines or anywhere else deemed appropriate.

The ego of Marshall Tito was so strong that even at eighty he still held on to power just like Fidel Castro has done.

Narcissistic leaders love to be the focus of attention and Marshall Tito was getting so much that it was hard to step for a younger more proficient leader who could take the country into the nineties and beyond.

The greatness of leaders should also be measured by the quality of succession programs that they have designed and executed, and also the stability and development of the country after they demit office.

Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Zimbabwe have certainly not prospered under these narcissistic septuagenarian leaders and this is a message to all countries that are appointing leaders to office who are in this age group.

There comes a time when these leaders must come to the conclusion that there job is over and it is not about them but about the best service to the people from the most capable political chief executive.

Instead of releasing the reigns of leadership these septuagenarian leaders seems to want to hold on to power for as long as possible even to the point of death.

Winston Churchill falls into the same category as those mentioned earlier.

He was one of the most brilliant military strategists of the 20th century and has helped to save not only his country during World War11 but several of the allies.

However he did not know when to leave the scene and overstayed his time to the detriment of the Conservative party in 1951, when at age 71 he ran and lost the election to Clement Attlee and the Labor Party.

He continued to lead the opposition afterwards despite having suffered several strokes and was successfully returned to power in 1951 at the ripe old age of 77.

Mr. Churchill seems to love the attention and may also feel that he should be given special privileges because of this war exploits, that he refuse to make way for a new leader to take the party forward.

The only weapon that could stop his indomitable drive for controlling power was sickness; which forced him out of office in 1955 at the age of 81.

Nelson Mandela is one of the most impressive leaders in the septuagenarian category, in that despite suffering for almost three decades in jail for his anti-apartheid stance, gave up office to his well groomed successor Thabo Mbeki.

Nelson Mandela was tremendously loved and popular internationally but he did not overstay his time in office. He served his purpose and then transferred power to his successor to take the country forward. There are few leaders who would do this and credit must be given to this great man

However the trend therefore is clear regarding the prevalence of narcissism among septuagenarian leaders past and present.

The behavior was identified with both past and present leaders and is a real threat to the continued economic, military and political stability of any nation.

The present must leaders should be reigned in by constitutional changes which limit the amount of time in office; because it is reasonable to conclude that intellectual decay will set in and reduce the judgment and competence of leaders who are in this age group.

Winston Churchill in his last term struggled to deliver his speech before parliament reflecting intellectual deterioration, and President Leonoid Breznev of the USSR had to be practically carried to his seat in his closing years in the 1980’s.

Many countries should take a leaf out of the US book and limit leaders to two successive terms and maintain independent judiciary and legislative arms to ensure proper checks and balances.

Hugo Chavez of Venezuela was recently defeated by a referendum in his country thereby preventing him from becoming President for life.

He would be a strong candidate for the narcissistic septuagenarian leadership category in the years to come but democracy prevailed over dictatorship.

In going forward it should be a priority of all countries to elect their leaders when they are in the prime of their lives they can perform at their best. This will ensure mutual political, economic, environmental and financial sustainability well into the future.