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Reports
Latvia Monthly: Intensifying Pre-Election Rhetoric
Populist candidates like Grevcova and Brēmanis (Alliance of Young Latvians) use emotionally charged content to highlight alleged government corruption and waste, often through unverifiable claims. Their videos on TikTok and Facebook generate more engagement than both Kremlin-aligned Telegram channels and rival populists like Roslikovs (For Stability). These figures leverage outrage-driven messaging to erode trust in Latvian institutions and promote anti-establishment, anti-government sentiment - particularly among Russian-speaking audiences.
Read moreLatvia Weekly: How Outrage Is Fueling a Populist Surge
The previously fringe Union of New Latvians party is now polling to pass the 5% threshold for Riga's city council. Its leaders Glorija Grevcova and Rūdolfs Brēmanis are generating social media engagement through content which can be described as “outrage porn.” They are stirring up outrage in their audience using charged and even fake topics to provoke strong emotional reactions. Guess the populist political party which gained the most engagements for its posts on Facebook, TikTok and Telegram? It was not Roslikovs, the leader of Stability! party. It was not Ainārs Šlesers, Trump-like leader of Latvia First party. It was Glorija Grevcova and Rūdolfs Brēmanis from the Union New Latvians.
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