Sri Lanka witnessed a mass uprising against the Rajapaksa government, and the regime was forced to resign in July 2022. Happily, the steady hand of Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president, the election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the left-wing coalition as president in the September 2024 election, and the peaceful transfer of power preserved the constitutional order and restored political stability. But in the process, the major parties were marginalised, and the NPP coalition emerged victorious, reflecting voters’ disenchantment with established parties.

Bangladesh witnessed another uprising against the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024 that ended in her resignation and the formation of an interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus. Though Sheikh Hasina's leadership accelerated economic growth in the country, her politics of vengeance and the absence of parliamentary opposition led to the uprising. An election is expected to be held in February 2026. Whether it will bring stability and legitimacy to a future government is an open question.

Now Nepal witnessed another youth uprising, forcing the resignation of KP Sharma Oli's coalition government, the dissolution of parliament, and an interim government headed by Sushila Karki, a former chief justice. The interim government announced elections in six months, and we will have to see if the stability, order and legitimacy of the government will be restored.

In Pakistan, Imran Khan's PTI party was denied an election symbol in the February 2024 elections. And yet, despite the repression and alleged large-scale rigging,........

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