Crisis leadership and the legitimacy of power in world politics

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Article

Crisis leadership and the legitimacy of power in world politics

Rilinda Maqellara Memwti

Received 19.06.2025, Revised 24.10.2025, Accepted 15.12.2025

https://doi.org/10.67524/verus1/1.2025.30

Retrieved from Vol. 1, No. 1, 2025

Pages 30-41

Abstract

The aim of this research was to compare approaches to crisis management, communication strategies, engagement with the opposition, and the impact on the internal and international legitimacy of power. The methodology included a case study method, focusing on three cases: Ukraine (V. Zelensky during the full-scale war), New Zealand (J. Ardern during the COVID-19 pandemic), and Hungary (V. Orbán under conditions of energy crisis and Euroscepticism). A comparative analysis of the cases was conducted, alongside content and discourse analysis of official addresses, regulatory acts, sociological surveys, and media sources on the topic. The study found that an effective communication strategy is fundamental for consolidating society and increasing trust, as evidenced by the rise in trust in the President of Ukraine to 90% after the full-scale invasion of 2022 and the increase in trust in state institutions in New Zealand from 48% to 69% at the peak of the pandemic in 2020. These quantitative indicators illustrate the impact of leadership communication on public opinion. In contrast, polarising rhetoric, while sustaining the domestic electorate, complicates international legitimacy. In crisis conditions, effectiveness and adherence to security can temporarily outweigh procedural democratic aspects as a source of legitimacy. Ensuring national unity and engaging the opposition are key to strengthening legitimacy. It is concluded that leaders who employ transparent and empathetic communication and strive for national unity more successfully consolidate legitimacy, whereas populist approaches, while securing domestic support, lead to international tension and the risk of undermining democratic values, which is fundamental to understanding global political transformations and the challenges for democracy in the 21st century

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Suggested citation
Memwti, R. (2025). Crisis leadership and the legitimacy of power in world politics. Journal of Global Political Transformations, 1(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.67524/verus1/1.2025.30