![“Have you ever seen a dictator on a run-off ballot? [Responding to the charges of a dictatorial bent, after being forced into a run-off against the socialist François Mitterrand in the 1965 presidential elections]” quote by Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/246/charles-de-gaulle-2714_quote_have-you-ever-seen-a-dictator-on-a-run-o_80965.jpg)
““Have you ever seen a dictator on a run-off ballot? [Responding to the charges of a dictatorial bent, after being forced into a run-off against the socialist François Mitterrand in the 1965 presidential elections]””
The speaker mocks the notion that a dictator could be elected through a democratic runoff, implying that such a system would expose the absurdity of authoritarian ambition.
In simple terms: Dictatorship cannot survive a fair electoral contest.
Democracy reveals authoritarian limits.
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