A New Era in Politics

It was long believed that politicians who utilized their cults of personality were authoritarian autocrats, such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela or Mao Zedong of China. However, in recent years we have seen a rise of democratically elected politicians and presidential hopefuls in democratic nations who do not comply with conventional decorum. Moreover, these unconventional politicians have come to rely on their cults of personality to win elections, or the very least to rally the masses behind a policy they’re pushing for. With the recent news of young comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, winning the first round of the current Ukrainian presidential elections it seems that this trend is here to stay for the foreseeable future. While it would be easy to paint these politicians with the same paintbrush that would frankly be lazy and ludicrous since, more often than not, they tend to have differing methods for garnering support.

THE BRASH OUTSIDER

As the name implies these types of politicians tend to be bold and self-assertive, they tend to be charismatic and can garner wide appeal towards different classes in society. Politicians of this category are also not afraid of facing well-seasoned, establishment politicians head on. Current US president Donald Trump is one example of this type of politician, as before the 2016 US elections he was largely an outsider of American politics (although he did try running for president in 2000 with a campaign that failed in its infancy stages). He was also successful in berating and in many cases, humiliating politicians on both sides of the spectrum, be they Ted Cruz and late Senator John McCain of the Republicans or Hilary Clinton of the Democrats. Another example of this politician type is the newly elected Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil. Like Trump, can be considered an outsider in politics as he spent most of his career in the military and he takes the brash and unapologetic approach when confronting political opponents.
Unlike other politicians, the brash outsider has a better understanding of how to use social media. While other politicians usually carefully plan their posts and have advisors revising them before they’re published, both Trump and Bolsonaro tweet off the cuff posts which showcase their true opinions to the wide masses. This in your face honesty is something that many voters are not used to, as they had grown accustomed to the typical and, in many ways, boring statements that many politicians make.
Jeremy Corbyn is another brash outsider politician. Despite the fact that he had been an MP since 1983, his lack of a university degree, more modest lifestyle and working-class upbringing has made him appeal to various British voters. Furthermore, his leftist activist characteristics have caused him to become popular among university students and those who identify as socialist.

THE NOSTALGIA POLITICIAN

If there’s a common sentiment among people after a certain age then it’s the idea that their country or even the entire world seemed like a better place in some distant part of the past. Today, there are many politicians who appeal to people’s sense of nostalgia, this tactic can be useful especially in countries with aging populations since older people are more likely to vote in elections than their younger counterparts. British MP and staunch Brexiter, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is a perfect representation of this type of politician. While leave voters had many different reasons for their decision, there were those who felt a sense of nostalgia for the days past when Britain was a much powerful world power and there are those who are old enough to remember the blow after the Suez Crisis which in many ways ended Britain’s time as a global superpower. Mogg, in his mannerisms, speech pattern and views, is a caricature of an 18th-century imperial politician. As such, it should not come as a surprise that he ended up becoming one of the poster boys for Brexit as well as one of the individuals who project the idea that the UK can go back to its more powerful past once it’s out of the European Union.
Corbyn also uses nostalgia as a tool since he tries to garner support from working class people who remember a time when labor unions were a much more powerful force in British politics and had much more lobbying power.

THE EVERYDAY COMMON MAN

This type of politician tries to make him or herself appear as your everyday average person who lives just like any person of the masses. For instance, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has been known to visit local pubs around the UK and have a pint with the local pub goers. This accomplishes two things; it showcases his love for an old British pastime and appeals to the working class voter base. Trump does a similar thing as he has publically shown his love for fast food; he also famously served members of the Clemson University Tigers football team a buffet of fast food during the most recent government shut down.

A NEW TYPE OF CULT OF PERSONALITY?

The current Ukrainian election seems to present us with a new type of politician. While Zelensky is an outsider of politics, unlike Trump or Bolsonaro, he really hasn’t run on any particular policies or platforms. The only stance he showcases is his pro-EU and NATO sentiment, other than that his political vision is unclear. Also unconventional is the fact that he has used his hit TV show, Servant of the People, for his campaign. In the show, he plays a schoolteacher who is elected president; as the third season of the show aired around the time he announced his candidacy many events in the plot started to mirror his campaign. Furthermore, the production company he works for, Kvartal 95, created the political party he is representing, which is coincidentally named after his hit sitcom. His mantra of "no promises, no disappointment" really shows that he doesn’t try to show any stances and believes that he could potentially turn away voters by making ambitious promises. His campaign has also largely relied on his popularity on Instagram, a social media platform that is more popular for people under-30. While it is too soon to predict whether or not Zelensky will be a prototype of a new politician, one thing is clear: we might see an increase of these non-establishment and unconventional politicians across many democracies.