Both Nigeria and Finland will usher in a new government on Friday, May 29, a remarkable day in their political history, even though continents apart, with different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds.
A new Parliament will be inaugurated in Finland, headed by Centre Party (CP) Chairman and Prime Minister-elect Juha Sipila, who will also be the Speaker of the Parliament.
Opposition party victory in Finland
CP won the highest number of 49 seats out of 200 in the parliamentary election on April 19, a margin not as clear as expected. The opposition party gained 14 seats to take its total to 49.
The National Coalition (NC) and the Finns Party (FP) fought a close contest for second place, with the latter edging out the former by a seat. Both parties, however, lost seats. NC has seven, FP one.
The triumph of CP is attributed to the failure of the cabinets of Jyrki Katainen (NCP) and his successor, Alexander Stubb (NCP). With discontent with the ruling parties boiling, CP had to do very little to win over voters.
In addition, Sipila convinced business owners to switch support from NC in hopes of a change in policy making.
The popularity of CP is unique in the Nordic context. One reason for this may be that the middle and working classes retain stronger roots in the countryside in Finland than in other parts of Scandinavia.
NC failed to win over voters. Its campaign slogan, “Repairs Are Needed”, sounded hardly credible from a party that has been more or less at the helm for the past eight years. CP held its breath running a discreet campaign.
Sipila is likely to run his cabinet like a chief executive would a company. This is precisely what his acquaintances in the business sector expect him to do.
He is also expected to impose his values on both the culture of governance and the outlines of government programme, with all parties having expressed interest in forging the government.
Opposition party victory in Nigeria
Nigeria will witness a new democratic government under Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who beat President Goodluck Jonathan at the ballot box on March 28.
The victory of the APC is ascribed to, among other factors, the inability of Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contain insurgency in the North East, the Chibok girls saga, corruption, and unstable power supply.
Besides, APC used the pedigree of Buhari as a man of integrity and his incorruptible disposition against corruption to win voters.
His popularity is overwhelming among Muslims in Nigeria and in the Arab countries.
The APC ran an aggressive campaign of “Change”, a slogan emblazoned on a broom that signifies the sweeping away of PDP failure to redress 16 years of dysfunctional governance.
Buhari says he will drop his military General title on May 29. But he is likely to run the government with the intelligence of a military tactician, with support from the military establishment, and backing from the international community.
The former head of state is expected to employ his wealth of experience as a military strategist to end insecurity, especially the dreaded Boko Haram insurrection, which has defied solution.
Both Buhari and Sipila have promised to downsize ministerial positions.