Off square one

摘要

South Asians, nearly a quarter of the world's population, are no pushovers. Some 1.6 billion people-the entire region-now live within civilian-led democracies, however imperfect. South Asian voters are ever readier to eject out-of-favour rulers. In the year to May 2014, governments in six out of seven South Asian countries are likely to change. In May voters ejected Pakistan's ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, the first time an elected government finished a full term and passed power to another. Bhutan's incumbent was kicked out after the tiny kingdom's second-ever general election, in July. Bangladeshis are poised to send the current ruling party packing, at polls expected on January 9th; this week in Bangladesh an interim government was created to oversee voting. And in India opinion polls point the ruling Congress party to the exit too, in a general election likely in May.