Nigeria will have a new president. Now, we know what you’re thinking, “Good for them, but how does ?that affect us?”
Well, in fact, it matters a great deal when one of the world’s largest “democracies” exercises its ?democratic rights.
Though Nigeria has long been considered a democracy and elections have been held, never before has an opposition party defeated an ?incumbent — until now.
Last week, President Goodluck Jonathan was defeated by former ?military dictator Muhammadu ?Buhari.
His win came amid questions from the West about whether Nigeria could even survive through 2015, as the country has been ravaged by violence spurred by the terror group Boko Haram and severe economic problems and inequality caused by falling oil prices and widespread corruption.
Buhari, on the surface, seems an unlikely hero for the Nigerian people after he ruled with an iron fist more than two decades ago.
But as several analysts point out, his military background and commitment to fighting corruption put him on the right side of the people’s concerns, as fear of Boko Haram and discontent with the government have reached their tipping point.
Further, Buhari eased concerns about his previous role as an authoritarian figure by selling himself as a reformed believer in democracy — a message that apparently resonated well enough with voters to get him a resounding victory.
All together, these clues look good for Nigeria, as President-elect Buhari appears well positioned to address — at least to some degree — the vast problems the ?country faces.
But the Editorial Board sees another important conclusion we can draw from this election: We don’t understand Africa as well as we thought.
The West predicted nothing short of chaos as a result of this election, but the foundation for a peaceful transition of power is what happened ?instead.
Many analysts predicted violence throughout the country, but with the exception of a few attacks in the north, little violence occurred.
By all accounts so far, it appears as though democracy won the day in Nigeria — despite our disbelief. Though this might come as a surprise to many, perhaps it shouldn’t.
Since the Cold War, the United States has been notoriously bad at recognizing cultural context abroad and particularly ambivalent toward African nations.
Instead of allowing countries to determine their own futures, the U.S. has intervened in order to preserve or create a government more fitting to our interests.
Although a peaceful transition is not guaranteed until it has happened, and Buhari will face enormous problems that might be too much to overcome, this election should still give us hope.
It shows democracy can work, even in countries we fail to trust.
It shows countries we don’t trust might deserve more respect from the West than they receive. And most importantly, it shows when people are given a voice, they tend to know what is better for them than anyone else.
Perhaps we can learn a lesson from Nigeria as well. Perhaps it is not a lost cause.
