Nepal, Sept. 25 -- Political change triggered by mass protests is not new in Nepal. The 1990 protests established multi-party democracy; the 2006 protests and their later offshoots led to the 2015 Constitution, which provides the foundations for a thriving and inclusive democracy in the country. The recent Gen Z protest that toppled a corrupt and unaccountable government was spontaneous but, in hindsight, was also the logical next step to a well-functioning democracy.

The three critical events-1990, 2006 and 2025-have occurred so quickly that it is hard to find a parallel in recent world history. Political progress often comes through a process of 'punctuated equilibrium', whereby radical political change is followed by long periods of i...