More Than Just a Strongman: The Strategic Construction of Viktor Orbán’s Charismatic Authority on Facebook

Abstract

Populist leaders are often described as “strongmen,” receiving a somewhat two-dimensional Western press coverage that cannot explain their local popularity. Based on visual and textual analysis of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Facebook, we argue that he has a more complex social media persona. Orbán’s Facebook shows him as (1) a fighter against a variety of enemies, (2) a symbolic condensation of the nation, (3) a relatable politician with (4) a gentleness toward children and animals, and (5) a strong competence in elite political contexts. Orbán uses his charismatic authority on Facebook to draw the boundaries of the Hungarian nation, presenting himself as the iconic representation of “Hungarian-ness.” The building blocks of his image are constantly being adapted to the current political situation and to shifts in public opinion. The Orbán image is, thus, a fluid and pragmatic material with only a few core principles and its popularity remains steadfast despite the brand’s contradictions. Understanding the appeal of Orbán’s self-representation may help us better grasp populist regimes’ variation and success worldwide.

Perspective chapter: Democracy beyond rationality

“…Authenticity generates credibility and this impression implies that the given politician knows what is good for us and can represent the general will. Populist leaders could draw the boundaries of the nation and become a symbolic condensation of it [28]. People nowadays tend to be more attached to the politician himself, not the political parties.…”

Between the divine and digital: Parsing Modi’s charismatic avatar

“…It neatly dovetails with jingoistic nationalism that enables the Modi-led state to organize economic and political life in India by minimizing resistance to their ideological uprightness and legitimacy claims. In the wake of rising illiberal populist regimes built around strongman leaders, Modi's turn to asceticism and religious myths helps recast him as a persona "with spiritual attainment" fueled with knowledge that makes him a more "vulnerable" and "gender inclusive" leader different from other populist strongmen -like Putin, Erdogan, Trump, or Bolsanoro (Raychaudhury, 2023;Sonnevend and Kövesdi, 2023;Mendonça and Caetano, 2021).…”