Fear is always a motivator used in democracy. Fear that you'll lose your job, fear that you'll become sick and unable to care for yourself or others, fear that people coming into your country are going to destroy it, fear that other nations will attack you. It's the same as anything, really.
There's not as much difference as you might think. Politicians make promises and break them in the same speech, it's not so much a favor to the people as it is securing power for themselves. I site America's incumbancy rates for the House and Senate. It's something like 95% and has been for a long while now.
Now this I find an interesting angle. It is quite like a perversion of our own elections as a facade for a cheap form of despotism. I can see that.