Nepal, Jan. 1 -- term elections are not new to Nepal, and the country is once again on the cusp of another one.

Barring a few exceptions, Nepal has repeatedly gone to elections before the House of Representatives could complete its full five-year term since the restoration of democracy in 1990. Seen only through the prism of timing, the March 5 election is just another manifestation of that familiar cycle.

The upcoming election, however, deviates from the old pattern in significant ways.

All previous mid-term elections were the result of inter- and intra-party disputes that eventually led to the dissolution of the lower house. Snap polls were held even when the Nepali Congress had secured a clear majority on its own, largely due to rif...