In politics, people do not always become attached to the person who holds power, but to the person who shared the experience of power with them.
A new leader may arrive, find the state ready, and begin making decisions from his new position.
But another leader may have lived through everything with his people; he saw the problem with them, discussed it with them, made the decision in front of them, and then experienced its consequences alongside them.
And this is where time creates something elections cannot give:
Trust.
A citizen who experienced every decision with a leader, even if they disagreed with him, feels that they understand why he made that decision.
A leader who suddenly appears may be more capable, but he has not yet lived through the journey with his people.
That is why the people’s rejection of him may not be a rejection of the person himself, but simply a reflection of a relationship that has not yet been built.
People do not become attached only to the person who governs them, but to the person who makes them feel that they are part of the governing process.
And this is the difference between a leader who says:
“This is my decision.”
And a leader who makes his people feel:
“This is our decision.”
The first possesses power.
The second possesses something far more difficult:
The trust of his people.