The world-famous hero of the internet meme “Hide the Pain Harold“ (Hide the Pain Harold) has unexpectedly become the most popular people's choice for the next president of Hungary.
András Arato, 81, a retired electrical engineer from Köség, won several large-scale unofficial opinion polls on social media.
The political stir comes immediately after Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar made a direct appeal to citizens to nominate and elect an independent candidate for the “father of the nation“ themselves, instead of having the election decided in “cigar-filled rooms“.
Political vacuum and search for new candidates
After the resignation of the previous Hungarian president Tamás Szujók, a serious political vacuum appeared in the country. The authorities have urgently begun searching for new faces to unite the nation, and the functions of interim head of state are currently being performed by the Speaker of Parliament, Agnes Forsthofer.
Although the online voting is unofficial, Hungarian society reacted quickly, bringing to the fore popular figures from science, culture and show business. In addition to the meme “Harold“, three other iconic names for the country received serious public support in the polls:
- Catalin Carrico – the world-famous Nobel laureate in medicine and biochemist.
- Erño Rubik – the legendary inventor of the world-famous logic puzzle “Rubik's Cube“.
- Barbara Palvin – the world-famous supermodel, who also garnered a high number of votes among young people.
The symbolic power of Budapest
Although the wave of popular approval for András Arato may seem curious, analysts remind us that in the Hungarian system of government, the functions of the president are essentially ceremonial. The president has a representative role, signs laws and has the right to pardon, but the real executive power is concentrated in the prime minister.
The official election for a new head of state in Hungary is held through a vote in parliament, which is scheduled to take place by mid-August 2026. Whether the ruling party “Tisa“ will listen to the voice of Internet users or will rely on a traditional political figure remains to be seen in the coming days.