The country's long-serving current leader, Islam Karimov, is no saint either.

The Senate is also the chamber where Bob Dole was a long-serving Republican leader.

Given Uganda's history of dictatorial regimes, this check and balance was designed to prevent a dangerous centralisation of power around a long-serving leader.

But the party that controls the next era of American politics may well be the one whose long-serving leaders can eventually summon the wisdom to step out of the way.

It has been a painful week for the revolutionaries trying to topple the long-serving Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

And after long years in which various aspirations and ambitions have simmered beneath the surface, it is not at all clear what will happen as long-serving leaders leave the scene.

"This is a shift of power," said Charles Tisdale, a long-serving civic leader and adviser to the tribe.

Mr. Arafat's Palestinian critics said they were confident that their long-serving leader would not be stepping aside voluntarily.

Mr. Silver lacks the flashy bravado one usually associates with long-serving legislative leaders.

There were few signs of the Arab Spring crossing the sands and turfing out other long-serving leaders.