Across the Horn of Africa, politics often becomes a moral trial. Elections and crises are judged through the leader: honest or corrupt, decisive or weak, patriotic or captured, principled or opportunistic. When conditions improve, vision is celebrated; when they worsen, character becomes the explanation.
This reflex reflects a region where institutions remain uneven and authority is still consolidating. Personality carries weight because it is visible even though continuity depends on institutional durability. Personal integrity can steady a moment, but institutional depth carries a state through succession, shocks, and hard bargaining.
