{{short description|Elected leader illegally maintaining or increasing power}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
<!-- This code prevents the image from being crossposted elsewhere via [[Template:Excerpt]]. --><noinclude>[[File:Cavalerie rues paris (1851).jpg|thumb|Cavalry in the streets of [[Paris]], after President [[Napoleon III|Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte]] seized dictatorial power in the [[1851 French coup d'état]]]]</noinclude>

A '''self-coup''', also called an '''autocoup''' ({{etymology|es|{{Wikt-lang|es|autogolpe}}|}}) or '''coup from the top''', is a form of [[coup d'état]] in which a political leader uses illegal means to stay in office or to vastly increase their power.<ref name=":18">{{Cite journal |last1=Chin |first1=John J |last2=Carter |first2=David B |last3=Wright |first3=Joseph G |date=2021 |title=The Varieties of Coups D'état: Introducing the Colpus Dataset |journal=International Studies Quarterly |volume=65 |issue=4 |pages=1040–1051 |doi=10.1093/isq/sqab058 }}</ref> The leader may dissolve or render powerless the national [[legislature]] and unlawfully assume [[extraordinary powers]]. Other measures may include annulling the [[constitution]], suspending [[civil courts]], and having the [[head of government]] assume [[dictator]]ial powers.<ref name="UY72">{{Cite book |last=Kaufman |first=Edy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vMHNkmwKPuQC |title=Uruguay in Transition: From Civilian to Military Rule |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1-4128-4084-2 |language=en}}{{date missing}}{{pn|date=April 2026}}</ref><ref name="atlantic-2020-12-07">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/trumps-farcical-inept-and-deadly-serious-coup-attempt/617309/ |title=This Must Be Your First|first1=Zeynep|last1=Tufekci|work=The Atlantic|date=December 7, 2020|quote=In political science, the term ''coup'' refers to the illegitimate overthrow of a sitting government — usually through violence or the threat of violence. The technical term for attempting to stay in power illegitimately — such as after losing an election — is ''self-coup'' or ''autocoup'', sometimes ''autogolpe''}}</ref>

From 1946 to the beginning of 2021, an estimated 148 self-coup attempts took place, 110 in [[autocracies]] and 38 in [[democracies]].<ref name=Nakamura>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|2475221202}} |last= Nakamura|first=David|title=With brazen assault on election, Trump prompts critics to warn of a coup |date=January 5, 2021|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-election-coup/2021/01/05/26afcfc0-4f6c-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 5, 2021 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==List of self-coups==
<!--Only add an example if a [[WP:RS|reliable source]] has described it as a self-coup (and cite it), not where you in your opinion as an editor think it was one. The reliability threshold here is low since we're presenting it as an opinion, but give attribution for any dubious examples. Sources for the entries that have been commented out are welcome-->
{{Div col}}
* {{Flag|Roman Republic}}: [[Julius Caesar]] (February 44 BC; when declared ''[[dictator perpetuo]]'')<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hemel |first1=Daniel J. |title=Self-Coup and the Constitution |journal=Constitutional Commentary |date=2022 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=315–364 |doi=10.24926/26390742.2442 |ssrn=4411491 |doi-access=free }}</ref><!--
* {{Flag|Sweden}}: King [[Gustavus III]] ([[Revolution of 1772|August 19, 1772]]){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}-->
* {{flagcountry|Federal Republic of Central America}}: President [[Manuel José Arce]] ([[First Central American Civil War#Federal self-coup|October 10, 1826]])<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chamorro Cardenal|first1=Pedro Joaquín|author1-link=Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal|date=1951|location=[[Madrid]], Spain|title=Historia de la Federación de la América Central: 1823–1840|trans-title=History of the Federation of Central America: 1823–1840|url=https://www.enriquebolanos.org/media/publicacion/historiafederacionamericacentral-1823-1840.pdf|language=es|publisher=Hispanic Cultural Editions|oclc=1172113044|access-date=28 September 2025|page=187}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Second French Republic}}: President [[Napoleon III|Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte]] ([[1851 French coup d'état|December 2, 1851]])<ref name=Brownlee-2022>{{cite journal |last1=Brownlee |first1=Jason |last2=Miao |first2=Kenny |title=Why Democracies Survive |journal=Journal of Democracy |date=October 2022 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=133–149 |doi=10.1353/jod.2022.0052 }}</ref><!--
* {{Flag|Bulgaria}}: Prince [[Alexander of Battenberg]] ({{ill|1881 Bulgarian coup d'état|bg|Преврат в България (1881)|lt=April 27, 1881}}){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}-->
* {{flag|Uruguay}}: President [[Juan Lindolfo Cuestas]] (February 10, 1898)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/11/archives/uruguay-under-a-dictator-senor-cuestas-executes-a-coup-detat-and.html|title=URUGUAY UNDER A DICTATOR.; Senor Cuestas Executes a Coup d'Etat and Dissolves the Assembly|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 11, 1898 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* {{flag|Austria|1230}}: Chancellor [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] ([[Self-elimination of the Austrian Parliament#Events of March 15, 1933|March 15, 1933]])<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weyland |first1=Kurt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTQTEAAAQBAJ&dq=austria+self-coup&pg=PA304 |title=Assault on Democracy |date=February 4, 2021 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781108844338 |accessdate=2022-09-14}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Germany|1933}}: Chancellor [[Adolf Hitler]] ([[Enabling Act of 1933|March 23, 1933]] / [[Law Concerning the Head of State of the German Reich|August 2, 1934]])<ref name=Brownlee-2022/><ref>{{cite web |date=September 28, 2018 |title=Germany 1933: from democracy to dictatorship |url=https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/germany-1933-democracy-dictatorship/ |website=Anne Frank House}}</ref>
* {{flag|Uruguay}}: President [[Gabriel Terra]] (March 31, 1933)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.onwar.com/data/uruguay1933.html|title=The March Revolution in Uruguay 1933|website=Armed Conflict Events Data}}</ref>
* {{flag|Estonia}}: Prime Minister in duties of the State Elder [[Konstantin Päts]] ([[Era of Silence|March 12, 1934]])<ref>{{cite book |title=XX sajandi kroonika, I osa |language=et |publisher=Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus |location=Tallinn |year=2002 |page=383}}</ref><!--
* {{flag|Latvia}}: Prime Minister [[Karlis Ulmanis]] ([[1934 Latvian coup d'état|May 15–16, 1934]]){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Greece|state}}: Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] ([[Fourth of August Regime|August 4, 1936]]){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
* {{flag|Paraguay|1842}}: President [[Higinio Morínigo]] ([[Higinio Morínigo#Dictatorship|November 30, 1940]]){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}-->
* {{Flag|Brazil|1889}}: President [[Getúlio Vargas]] ([[1937 Brazilian coup d'état|November 10, 1937]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/very-brazilian-coup|title=A very Brazilian coup|website=openDemocracy}}</ref>
* {{flag|Uruguay}}: President [[Alfredo Baldomir]] (February 21, 1942)<ref name=":1">{{cite web|access-date=2023-08-06 |language=es |title=El barro de la historia - El golpe de 1942. |url=https://sites.google.com/site/historiaconcreta/6o-historia-del/el-golpe-de-1942 |website=sites.google.com}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
*{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}: King [[Michael I of Romania]] ([[1944 Romanian coup d'état|August 23, 1944]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Deletant |first=Dennis |title=Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and His Regime, Romania 1940–1944 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2006}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bolivia}}: President [[Mamerto Urriolagoitía]] ([[Hugo Ballivián|May 16, 1951]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/bolivian-revolution.htm|title=The Bolivian Revolution|website=Latin American Studies}}</ref>
* {{flag|Pakistan}}: Governor-General [[Malik Ghulam Muhammad|Ghulam Muhammad]] ([[1953 Pakistani constitutional coup|April 1953 – September 21, 1954]])<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shah |first1=Sabir |title=70-year history of constitutional crises in Pakistan |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1057154-70-year-history-of-constitutional-crises-in-pakistan |publisher=[[The News International]] |date=April 4, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wheeler |first1=Richard S. |title=Governor General's Rule in Pakistan |journal=Far Eastern Survey |date=January 1955 |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |jstor=3024672 |publisher=[[Institute of Pacific Relations]]|doi=10.2307/3024672 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Indonesia}}: President [[Sukarno]] ([[President Sukarno's 1959 Decree|July 5, 1959]])<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pauker |first1=Guy J. |title=Indonesia: The Year of Transition |journal=Asian Survey |date=1967 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=138–150 |doi=10.2307/2642526 |jstor=2642526 }}</ref><!--
* {{flag|Nepal}}: King [[Mahendra of Nepal|Mahendra]] ([[1960 Nepal coup d'état|December 15, 1960]]){{citation needed|date=March 2026}}
* {{flag|Thailand}}: Prime Minister [[Thanom Kittikachorn]] ([[1971 Thai coup d'état|November 17, 1971]]){{citation needed|date=March 2026}}-->
* {{flag|Philippines|1936}}: President [[Ferdinand Marcos]] ([[Proclamation No. 1081|September 23, 1972]])<ref name=Brownlee-2022/><ref name="martiallaw">{{cite web|title=Declaration of Martial Law|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/featured/declaration-of-martial-law/ |website=[[Official Gazette (Philippines)|Official Gazette]] |publisher=Republic of the Philippines|access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref>
* {{flag|South Korea|1949}}: President [[Park Chung Hee]] ([[October Restoration|October 17, 1972]])<ref>{{cite book |first1=Andrea Matles |last1=Savada |first2=William |last2=Shaw |title=South Korea: A Country Study |location=Washington, DC |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Publishing Office]] |year=1990 |url=http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/14.htm |chapter=The Military in Politics |series=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]]}}</ref>
* {{flag|Swaziland}}: King [[Sobhuza II]] (April 12, 1973)<ref>{{cite web |date=April 16, 1973 |title=PROCLAMATION BY HIS MAJESTY KING SOBHUZA II 12TH APRIL 1973 |url=https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/sz1973proclamation.pdf |website=International Commission of Jurists}}</ref><ref name="Dlamini2019">{{cite book |last1=Dlamini |first1=Hlengiwe Portia |title=A Constitutional History of the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland), 1960–1982 |chapter=From King Sobhuza II's Auto-Coup d'État to the Era of Constitutional Void and Royal Benevolent Despotism |series=African Histories and Modernities |date=2019 |pages=279–337 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-24777-5_7 |isbn=978-3-030-24776-8 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Uruguay}}: President [[Juan María Bordaberry]] ([[1973 Uruguayan coup d'état|June 27, 1973]])<ref name="UY72" /><!--
* {{flag|China}}: Premier [[Hua Guofeng]] ([[Gang of Four|October 6, 1976]]){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
* {{flag|Thailand}}: Prime Minister [[Kriangsak Chamanan]] ([[October 1977 Thai coup d'état|November 10, 1977]]){{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
* {{flag|Poland}}: Prime Minister [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] ([[Martial law in Poland|December 13, 1981]]){{citation needed|date=March 2026-->
* {{flag|Peru}}: President [[Alberto Fujimori]] ([[1992 Peruvian coup d'état|April 5, 1992]])<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fujimori's coup and the breakdown of democracy in Latin America |last=Kenney|first=Charles D. |url=http://www.bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?BookId=5885 |year=2004 |publisher=[[University of Notre Dame Press]] |isbn=0-268-03171-1}}</ref> 
* {{flag|Russia|1991}}: President [[Boris Yeltsin]] ([[1993 Russian constitutional crisis|September 21, 1993]]){{efn|Attributed to multiple sources:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2821597|script-title=ru:Все перевороты XXI века|trans-title=All coups of the 21st century|date=30 September 2015|work=[[Kommersant]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xd6CDwAAQBAJ&dq=yeltsin+self-coup&pg=PT340 |title=Judicial Power: How Constitutional Courts Affect Political Transformations |date= February 7, 2019|isbn=9781108425667 |accessdate=2022-09-14|last1=Landfried |first1=Christine |publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BH8nAQAAMAAJ&q=yeltsin+self-coup |title=International Politics in a Changing World |isbn=9780205189939 |accessdate=2022-09-14|last1=Hastedt |first1=Glenn P. |last2=Knickrehm |first2=Kay M. |year=2003 |publisher=Longman }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://politeia.ru/files/articles/rus/Politeia-2000-2(16).pdf |first=K. L. |last=Maidanik |author-link=Kiva Maidanik |script-title=ru:«He-запад»: современный транзит и перспективы демократизации |language=ru |trans-title="Non-West": modern transition and prospects for democratization |script-journal=ru:Полития |volume=2 |issue=16 |page=100 |date=Summer 2000 |script-quote=ru:В последнее десятилетие – чуть ли не впервые за полтора века – в регионе не произошло ни одного успешного военного переворота. Имели место, правда, один «самопереворот» (президент разогнал парламент) и один случай переноса выборов.|trans-quote=In the last decade – almost for the first time in a century and a half – there has not been a single successful military coup in the region. There has, however, been one 'self-coup' (the president dissolved parliament) and one case of postponed elections.}}</ref>}}
* {{flag|Cambodia}}: Prime Minister [[Hun Sen]] ([[1997 Cambodian coup d'état|July 1997]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Making of a strongman: In July 1997, Hun Sen took complete control of the country – and his party|url=https://m.phnompenhpost.com/national-post-depth-politics/making-strongman-july-1997-hun-sen-took-full-control-country-and-his |access-date=October 23, 2023 |website=The Phnom Penh Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Desafíos actuales de Asia oriental |language=es |trans-title=Current challenges in East Asia |last1=Pedrosa |first1=Fernando |last2=Noce |first2=Cecilia |last3=Povse |first3=Max |date=2021 |publisher=Eudeba |isbn=9789502331188}}</ref><!--
* {{flag|Nepal}}: King [[Gyanendra of Nepal|Gyanendra]] ([[2005 Nepal coup d'état|February 1, 2005]]){{citation needed|date=March 2026}}-->
* {{flag|Venezuela}}: President [[Nicolás Maduro]] ([[2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis|March 29, 2017]])<ref name="coup">{{cite news|title=Venezuela Muzzles Legislature, Moving Closer to One-Man Rule|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/world/americas/venezuelas-supreme-court-takes-power-from-legislature.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 30, 2017 |access-date=March 31, 2017|last1=Casey |first1=Nicholas |last2=Torres |first2=Patricia }}</ref>
* {{flag|Peru}}: President [[Martín Vizcarra]] ([[2019–2020 Peruvian constitutional crisis|September 30, 2019]])<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |title=4 claves para entender la crisis política que atraviesa Perú tras la disolución del Congreso (y lo que puede pasar ahora) |language=es |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-49887706 |access-date=2023-04-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-09-30 |title=Peru military, police back Vizcarra as rebel lawmakers vow loyalty to VP |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-politics-idUSKBN1WF1MC |access-date=2023-04-24}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite news |first1=Juan |last1=Montes |first2=John |last2=Otis |title=Peruvian Vice President Resigns After Congress Fails to Oust Nation's Leader |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/peruvian-vice-president-resigns-after-congress-fails-to-oust-nations-leader-11570044084 |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=October 2, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* {{flag|Malaysia}}: Prime Minister [[Muhyiddin Yassin]] ([[2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis|February 29, 2020]])<ref>{{cite web |date=March 22, 2020 |title=Malaysia's frustrated 'No. 2' leaders pull off political coup |work=[[Nikkei, Inc.|Nikkei]] |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Comment/Malaysia-s-frustrated-No.-2-leaders-pull-off-political-coup}}</ref>
* {{flag|Russia}}: President [[Vladimir Putin]] ([[2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia|July 4, 2020]])<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.ru/finansy-i-investicii/392589-investklimat-v-rossii-opredelyaetsya-fsb-sergey-guriev-o-novom | script-title=ru:Инвестклимат в России определяется ФСБ»: Сергей Гуриев о новом правительстве и «конституционном самоперевороте |language=ru |trans-title=The Investment Climate in Russia Is Determined by the FSB: Sergei Guriev on the New Government and the "Constitutional Self-Coup" | date=February 6, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/putin-speech-power-after-term-ends-by-sergei-guriev-2020-01| title=Putin's Meaningless Coup|date=January 18, 2020 |first=Sergei |last=Guriev |publisher=[[Project Syndicate]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XDQKEAAAQBAJ&dq=yeltsin+self-coup&pg=PA278 |title=There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century |date= September 7, 2021|isbn=9780358574316 |accessdate=2022-09-14|last1=Hill |first1=Fiona |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt }}</ref>
* {{flag|El Salvador}}: President [[Nayib Bukele]] ([[2021 Salvadoran political crisis|May 1, 2021]])<ref name="1M">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/20/el-salvadors-president-launched-self-coup-watch-creeping-corruption-authoritarianism/|title=El Salvador's President Launched a 'Self-Coup'. Watch for Creeping Corruption and Authoritarianism|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=20 May 2021|access-date=26 April 2023|language=en|first1=Manuel|last1=Meléndez-Sánchez|first2=Steven|last2=Levitsky|archive-date=6 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606100412/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/20/el-salvadors-president-launched-self-coup-watch-creeping-corruption-authoritarianism/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flag|Tunisia}}: President [[Kais Saied]] ([[2021–2022 Tunisian political crisis|July 25, 2021]])<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dawnmena.org/saieds-textbook-self-coup-in-tunisia/ | title=Saied's Textbook Self-Coup in Tunisia |publisher=Dawn |first=Tarek |last=Megerisi | date=August 2, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tamburini |first1=Francesco |title='How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Autocracy': Kais Saied's 'Constitutional Self-Coup' in Tunisia |journal=Journal of Asian and African Studies |date=September 2023 |volume=58 |issue=6 |pages=904–921 |doi=10.1177/00219096221079322 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/opinion-tunisia-s-dangerous-moment-a-self-coup/2345542 | title=OPINION – Tunisia's dangerous moment: A self-coup |first=Tarek |last=Cherkaoui |work=Anadolu Agency |date=25 August 2021 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Sudan}}: Chairman of the [[Sovereignty Council of Sudan|Sovereignty Council]] [[Abdel Fattah al-Burhan]] ([[October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état|October 25, 2021]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://africanarguments.org/2021/10/sudan-self-coup-and-four-factors-that-will-determine-what-comes-next/|title=Sudan's self-coup and four factors that will determine what comes next |work=African Arguments |first=David |last=Kiwuwa|date=October 27, 2021}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

==Notable events described as attempted self-coups==
{{Div col}}
* {{flag|Guatemala|1968}}: President [[Jorge Serrano Elías]] ([[1993 Guatemalan constitutional crisis|May 25 – June 5, 1993]])<ref name=Levitt>{{cite journal |last1=Levitt |first1=Barry S. |title=A Desultory Defense of Democracy: OAS Resolution 1080 and the Inter-American Democratic Charter |journal=Latin American Politics and Society |date=2006 |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=93–123 |id={{Project MUSE|202008}} |jstor=4490479 |doi=10.1111/j.1548-2456.2006.tb00357.x }}</ref>
* {{flag|Indonesia}}: President [[Abdurrahman Wahid]] ([[Abdurrahman Wahid's 23 July 2001 Decree|July 1–25, 2001]])<ref>{{cite news| last1= Ingraham |first1=Christopher |title= Coup attempts usually usher in long stretches of democratic decline, data shows |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/22/self-coup-next/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>
* {{flag|Malaysia}}: Prime Minister [[Mahathir Mohamad]] ([[2020–21 Malaysian political crisis|February 23 – March 1, 2020]])<ref>{{cite news|title=Mahathir proposes to lead 'unity government' – sources |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-politics-mahathir/malaysias-mahathir-proposes-to-lead-unity-government-sources-idUSKCN20J152| work=Reuters |date=February 25, 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|United States}}: President [[Donald Trump]] ([[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|November 4, 2020]] – [[January 6 attack|January 6, 2021]]; after [[2020 United States presidential election|election loss]])<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pion-Berlin |first1=David |last2=Bruneau |first2=Thomas |last3=Goetze |first3=Richard B. |title=The Trump Self-Coup Attempt: Comparisons and Civil–Military Relations |journal=Government and Opposition |date=October 2023 |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=789–806 |doi=10.1017/gov.2022.13 |doi-access=free |hdl=10945/72654 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Harvey |first1=Michael |title=Donald Trump in Historical Perspective |chapter=Introduction |date=2022 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.4324/9781003110361-1 |isbn=978-1-003-11036-1 |quote=As with the Beer Hall Putsch, a would-be leader tried to take advantage of an already scheduled event (in Hitler's case, Kahr's speech; in Trump's, Congress's tallying of the electoral votes) to create a dramatic moment with himself at the center of attention, calling for bold action to upend the political order. Unlike Hitler's coup attempt, Trump already held the top of the office, so he was attempting to hold onto power, not seize it (the precise term for Trump's intended action is a 'self-coup' or 'autogolpe'). Thus, Trump was able to plan for the event well in advance and with much greater control, including developing the legal arguments that could be used to justify rejecting the election's results. |quote-page=3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1-last=Castañeda |author1-first=Ernesto |author2-last=Jenks |author2-first=Daniel |date=April 17, 2023 |title=January 6th and De-Democratization in the United States |editor-last1=Costa |editor-first1=Bruno Ferreira |editor-last2=Parton|editor-first2=Nigel|journal=Social Sciences |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=238 |doi=10.3390/socsci12040238 |doi-access=free |quote=What the United States went through on January 6th was an attempt at a self-coup, where Trump would use force to stay as head of state even if abandoning democratic practices in the U.S. Some advised Trump to declare martial law to create a state of emergency and use that as an excuse to stay in power.}}</ref>
* {{flag|Peru}}: President [[Pedro Castillo]] ([[2022 Peruvian self-coup d'état attempt|December 7, 2022]])<ref name=":25">{{Multiref2
|1={{Cite web |last1=Aspinwall |first1=Nick |last2=Chen |first2=Alicia |title=Peru's Failed Presidential Coup Sparks Democratic Crisis |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/12/20/peru-failed-presidential-coup-democratic-crisis/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Foreign Policy |date=December 20, 2022 |language=en-US}}
|2={{Cite web |last=Villar |first=Paola |date=2022-12-07 |title=Peru's President Pedro Castillo Stages Self-Coup, Announces Dissolution of Congress |url=https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/perus-president-pedro-castillo-stages-self-coup-announces-dissolution-of-congress/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Bloomberg Línea |language=en-US}}
|3={{Cite web |last=Quesada |first=Juan Diego |date=2022-12-09 |title=Inside the coup in Peru: 'President, what have you done?' |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-12-09/inside-the-coup-in-peru-president-what-have-you-done.html |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=El País English |language=en-us}}
|4={{Cite web |title=After failed self-coup: Peru's ousted president seeks meeting with rights inspectors |url=https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2008492.html |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=today.rtl.lu |language=en}}
|5={{Cite web |date=2022-12-08 |title=High drama in Lima as Peru ousts its president after he attempts self-coup |url=https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2022/12/08/high-drama-in-lima-as-peru-ousts-its-president-after-he-attempts-self-coup.html |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Week |language=en}}
|6={{Cite web |date=2022-12-12 |title=Peru's new president suggests moving general election forward to April |url=https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/12/perus-new-president-suggests-moving-general-election-forward-to-april-2024 |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=euronews |language=en}}
}}</ref>
* {{flag|Brazil}}: President [[Jair Bolsonaro]] ([[2022 Brazilian coup plot|October 30, 2022 – December 31, 2022]]; [[2023 Brazilian Congress attack|January 8, 2023]]; after [[2022 Brazilian general election|election loss]])<ref>{{cite news |last=Carvalho |first=Diego |date=October 17, 2023 |title=Brazil's Bolsonaro Plotted Coup After Election Defeat, Congressional Probe Finds |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-17/brazil-s-bolsonaro-accused-of-plotting-coup-in-congress-probe-of-jan-8-riots?embedded-checkout=true |work=Bloomberg |access-date=January 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Arias |first=Juan |date=August 25, 2023 |title=Brazilian military caught in the crossfire after failed coup attempt against Lula's government |url=https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-08-25/brazilian-military-caught-in-the-crossfire-after-failed-coup-attempt-against-lulas-government.html |work=El País |access-date=January 11, 2024}}</ref>
* {{flag|Israel}}: Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] ([[2023 Israeli judicial reform|ongoing events]], since he assumed office on December 29, 2022){{efn|Attributed to multiple sources:<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Thomas L. |date=February 14, 2023 |title=Netanyahu's Judicial Coup Could Destroy His Start-Up Nation |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/opinion/bibi-netanyahu-israel.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-08-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230219085933/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/opinion/bibi-netanyahu-israel.html |archive-date=19 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Thomas L. |date=2023-03-28 |title=Netanyahu Cannot Be Trusted |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/opinion/israel-protests-benjamin-netanyahu.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-08-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230328050812/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/opinion/israel-protests-benjamin-netanyahu.html |archive-date=2023-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Patrick |date=July 23, 2023 |title=Israel's Identity Hangs in Balance Ahead of Key Vote on New Law |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/23/world/middleeast/israel-government-vote-netanyahu.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230723164423/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/23/world/middleeast/israel-government-vote-netanyahu.html |archive-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-27 |title=A Coup d'État in Israel? : The Bitter Harvest of Colonialism |url=https://crimethinc.com/2023/03/27/a-coup-detat-in-israel-the-bitter-harvest-of-colonialism |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=CrimethInc. |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Harari |first=Yuval Noah |date=March 9, 2023 |title=This Is Definitely a Coup. Israel Is on Its Way to Becoming a Dictatorship |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-03-09/ty-article-opinion/this-is-definitely-a-coup-israel-is-on-its-way-to-becoming-a-dictatorship/00000186-c728-d069-a3df-c73897c10000 |access-date=2023-08-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230309170347/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-03-09/ty-article-opinion/this-is-definitely-a-coup-israel-is-on-its-way-to-becoming-a-dictatorship/00000186-c728-d069-a3df-c73897c10000 |archive-date=March 9, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Freedland |first=Jonathan |date=2023-03-31 |title=Netanyahu is leading a coup against his own country. But the threat is not only to Israel |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/31/benjamin-netanyahu-israel-northern-ireland-palestine |url-status=live |access-date=2023-08-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230401161858/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/31/benjamin-netanyahu-israel-northern-ireland-palestine |archive-date=April 1, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Starr |first=Michael |date=January 8, 2023 |title=30,000 march in Tel Aviv against 'coup d'état' Levin judicial reform |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-726915 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230108092659/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-726915 |archive-date=January 8, 2023 |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US}}</ref>}}
* {{flag|South Korea}}: President [[Yoon Suk Yeol]] ([[2024 South Korean martial law crisis|December 3–4, 2024]])<ref>{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=James |date=4 December 2024 |title=How South Koreans Rejected Martial Law |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/03/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-army-parliament-vote/ |website=[[Foreignpolicy.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= Schaefer |first= Christopher |date=5 December 2024 |title=Lessons From South Korea's Six-Hour Dictatorship |url=https://rdi.org/articles/lessons-from-south-koreas-six-hour-dictatorship/ |website=[[Renew Democracy Initiative]]}}</ref>
* {{flag|United States}}: President [[Donald Trump]] ([[Democratic backsliding in the United States#21st century|ongoing events]], such as the [[Targeting of political opponents and civil society under the second Trump administration|targeting of political opponents and civil society]], since the start of his [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|second term]] on January 20, 2025)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Naim |first=Moises |date=18 March 2025 |title=Is Trump Executing a Self-Coup? |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/18/donald-trump-us-democracy-self-coup-government-institutions/ |website=[[Foreignpolicy.com]] |access-date=2026-06-25 }}</ref>

{{Div col end}}

==See also==
* [[Constitutional coup]]
* [[Democratic backsliding]]
* [[Soft coup]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Arthur A |title=Power Grabs from the Top: A Database of Self-Coups |journal=International Studies Quarterly |date=14 September 2024 |volume=68 |issue=4 |article-number=sqae147 |doi=10.1093/isq/sqae147 }}
* {{cite journal |first1=F. E. |last1=Guerra-Pujol |date=2024 |url=https://www.swlaw.edu/sites/default/files/2025-01/13%20-%20Guerra.pdf |title=Gödel's Loophole: A Prequel |journal=Southwestern Journal of International Law |volume=30 |issue=2 }}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary inline|self-coup}}

{{Coup d'état}}
{{African coups d'État}}
{{Latin America coup d'état}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Self-Coup}}
[[Category:Self-coups| ]]
[[Category:Constitutional crises]]
[[Category:Coups d'état]]