On Thursday, Bangladesh held an acceptable election after 18 years, one in which participation was not curtailed by the state itself.

It is tempting to draw dramatic parallels between the Arab Spring and contemporary South Asia, especially as Bangladesh is, at the time of writing, holding the much-anticipated parliamentary elections.

For the first time in Bangladesh’s history, voters residing outside of the country were able to cast their votes for both the national election and the referendum through postal ballots.