In Finland you can get on a bus and find yourself sitting next to you... a minister.
For many tourists it is an amazing scene.
For Finns, however, it is almost normal.
In the Nordic country it is not rare for ministers and parliamentarians to use public transport for daily travel, especially in the capital Helsinki.
Bus, metro and trains are part of their everyday life, just like thousands of other citizens.
One of the most remembered episodes dates back to 2019.
After the formation of the new government, coalition party leaders arrived together by bus at the press conference to present the executive.
The images quickly turned around the world and, for many, became the symbol of a political style marked by sobriety and normality.
Of course this does not mean that the representatives of the institutions always move by public transport.
When commitments, timetables or security requirements require it, they can also move by car or taxi, as happens in many other countries.
What strikes is the fact that seeing a minister waiting at the bus stop or sitting on a metro car is not considered an exceptional event.
It is part of a culture that attaches great value to simplicity and direct relationship between institutions and citizens.
Finland is often referred to as one of the countries with the highest levels of trust in institutions.
According to many observers, the naturalness with which political representatives share the spaces of daily life contributes to strengthening that relationship of trust.
Because, sometimes, they are the simplest gestures to convey the strongest message: who governs a country continues to share, at least in part, the everyday life of the citizens it represents.