self-coup

thumb|Cavalry in the streets of Paris, after President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte seized dictatorial power in the [[1851 French coup d'état]]

A self-coup, also called an autocoup () or coup from the top, is a form of coup d'état in which a political leader, having come to power through legal means, stays in office or vastly increases their power illegally through the actions of themselves or their supporters, thus performing a coup on one's own government. 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 dictatorial powers.