PUBLIC DEMAND FOR CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP IN UKRAINE

Political leadership remains a key factor in social transformations associated with the transition of newly independent states to democracy and the formation of sustainable state institutions. In both processes, the legitimacy of the government, which initiates transformations and directs national development, is of great importance. For Weber, the legitimacy of government is ensured in three ways: traditional, rational-legal, or charismatic. Charismatic leadership is one of the most common ways of overcoming the difficulties of the transition period in new states. Its feature is a high degree of trust in the head of state or other national leader due to belief in his extraordinary abilities and unique mission.The theory of political charisma had been developed during the 1960s-1990s, mainly in the framework of the functional approach. This approach determined the main criteria of charismatic leadership, the conditions for its emergence, and the evolution of charisma in its routinization. The extent to which external factors condition charisma remains quite debatable. Since most studies concern a charismatic leader's personality and psychological and behavioral characteristics, the problem of public demand for charisma remains insufficiently revealed. This study aims to provide empirical arguments to answer the question of what is primary, the demand for charisma or its offer. Professional sociologists from "SOCIS" group (Kyiv, Ukraine) studied the perception of Ukrainian society of images of leading politicians (presidents and presidential candidates) according to the criteria of compliance with the charismatic type of leadership. The main conclusion from the study is that under certain conditions, society endows all possible virtues of a leader entrusted with the function of charismatic leadership. This high assessment of the leader's characteristics and trust in his good intentions (mission) is irrational due to the need to solve this community's fundamental tasks.