New beginning or illusion of change?

Nepal is on the brink of change. Whether that change is positive remains uncertain.

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.