> Duterte was democratically elected. Yes. That's why I mentioned him. He is a legitimately popular politician with a strong authoritarian streak. If I wanted

> Duterte was democratically elected. Yes. That's why I mentioned him. He is a legitimately popular politician with a strong authoritarian streak. If I wanted to give you other examples of authoritarians, I would have suggested Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They've all had their ups and downs in popularity, but mostly based on economic conditions. China would have been the most relevant example to use, but it's more difficult to prove popularity without elections. Still, both official approval ratings[1] and anecdotal discussions[2] suggest that the government is particularly popular among those in rural areas who have seen rapid modernization. [1]: https://www.economist.com/china/2015/04/11/the-critical-masses https://www.economist.com/china/2015/04/11/the-critical-mass... [2]: https://www.quora.com/In-general-how-popular-are-the-Communist-Party-and-the-Chinese-government-to-the-ordinary-citizen-of-China https://www.quora.com/In-general-how-popular-are-the-Communi...