Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was described as a charismatic state leader by several mass media. There are various definitions of charisma, although a special bond between the people and the leader is an important element of charismatic leadership. The sociological study that is conducted of Chavez's functioning as a state leader is based on Weber's theory of charismatic authority. There are five factors of charisma derived from that theory (situational factor - a state of crisis, the leader's vision, behavioural characteristics of the leader, characteristics of the followers, and the validation of charisma according to continuous successes), with the study results showing that Chavez's leadership over 15 years fulfils all five of them.
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