Nepal, Feb. 27 -- With less than a week to go for the March 5 parliamentary elections, Nepal needs to navigate itself out of a precarious intersection of civic duty and a public health crisis. The Ministry of Health and Population has issued a directive, placing emergency departments of hospitals on high alert for a projected surge in patients around election day. The anticipated increase is a damning indictment of a political culture that prioritises aggression over discourse, compounded by the health hazards of the winter season. The sanctity of the democratic process, however, must not be clouded by infections or avoidable bloodshed.

Historically, the period surrounding election day is marred by scuffles, brawls and organised fighting...