Nepal, March 6 -- On Thursday, doubts about whether the election would be held on time were over. This development is definitely a matter of satisfaction for Nepalis. However, many stakeholders, including common citizens, seem concerned about whether the election will bring stability and pave the way for good governance and equitable prosperity. It is valid to doubt the election's outcome against the backdrop of protracted instability since the 1990s.

Elections alone do not guarantee democratic stability. Regardless of several elections held in the past, political instability, in our context, has often become more predictable than stability itself. Governments have changed, coalitions have shifted intermittently, but the underlying cause...