Shifting Tides in South Asia: Renewed Hope in Pakistan?

The victory of former premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (known as the PML-N) over the incumbent Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the 11 May 2013 national elections marks a milestone in Pakistan’s history. During the course of the country’s 66 years as a sovereign state, instability has become the norm, with lurches from fragile democracy to military rule all too common. Against this stark backdrop, the convincing opposition win in a regularly scheduled vote, followed by a smooth handover of office, offers renewed hope that electoral democracy and civilian rule may be on the way to consolidation.