Kathmandu, March 6 -- When she was appointed prime minister of the interim government on September 12, Sushila Karki's chief task was to hold the snap parliamentary elections on March 5. She completed that duty on Thursday.

In the early days after the lower house was dissolved and elections were announced, the CPN-UML, the party led by ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli, was vehemently opposed to the polls. Oli's erstwhile coalition partner Nepali Congress also backed UML's petition in the court demanding the restoration of Parliament. But both these parties fully participated in the polls.

There was a great deal of confusion over whether the House of Representatives election would take place on schedule. Security challenges had mounte...