Nepal, March 13 -- The election has concluded peacefully and fairly. The naysayers-analysts and political leaders who, until a few days before polling, questioned whether the election would take place-have been silenced. The remarkable victory of the less than five-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) over the long-established older parties has overturned all previous assumptions about electioneering in Nepal and has placed us in a position that could either serve as a launchpad for a new beginning or remain another illusion of change.

Overturned assumptions

A day before the beginning of the silence period, I asked a friend of mine, "So, who will win the election? Is the Balen wave real?" He answered, "Yes, the Balen wave is real, bu...