Hungary may have its most unusual presidential candidate yet. The Guardian reports that András Arató, the man known worldwide as the face of the «Hide the Pain Harold» meme, has unexpectedly emerged as the leader in an online poll.
Forty-six-year-old blogger Eszter Jambor asked her followers to name the person they would like to see as Hungary’s next president. The candidates included Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Palvin, Rubik’s Cube inventor Ernő Rubik, Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó, reality TV stars and other well-known Hungarians.
However, it was 79-year-old retired electrical engineer András Arató who received the most votes. He is known online as the face of the «Hide the Pain Harold» meme, which features a man with a forced smile who appears to be trying to conceal his inner suffering. The meme has been used around the world for years to joke about awkward situations and life’s difficulties.
Last year, Diana Kuvanbay, a Kazakh student studying in Hungary, shared a photo with Arató. He had given a guest lecture at her university, where he discussed the role of memes and creativity in the digital age. The photo of Kuvanbay and «Hide the Pain Harold» quickly gained popularity on Kazakh social media. Users joked that the legendary meme character had now become a little closer to Kazakhstan. «Even in this photo, Harold is hiding his pain,» one commenter wrote. Others joked, «He exists!» and «Now he’s definitely Kazakh.»
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An unusual poll amid political change
The tongue-in-cheek vote comes amid political changes in Hungary. Following the departure of longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the country is preparing to elect a new president. Although the head of state will be elected by members of Parliament, Prime Minister Péter Magyar has called on citizens to nominate their own candidates.
According to Jambor, politics is a serious topic, but there is now a sense of freedom in the country, allowing people to bring a little humor to the discussion.
Notably, Magyar previously nominated legendary chess player Judit Polgár for president. However, Polgár declined to run, saying she was not ready to take on such a responsibility.
