of the major parties seemed willing to go to election under the rival party’s government. As Regmi leaves office after almost a year, it is time to take stock of his tenure.

To put things in perspective, Regmi’s responsibilities were limited to begin with. The election government was not given much power to take far-reaching decisions. Rather, it was the agency to enforce decisions that the major parties took together in the High-level Political Committee. As the name for the Cabinet Regmi led indicates, his was only an  ‘interim’ government formed for the sole task of holding elections. 

Within the confines of his role, Regmi acquitted himself well. He concentrated on his chief responsibility as soon as he came to power. He did not make public statements intended to boost his popularity or engaged in publicity stunts, though there was some paranoia among party workers that he could try to prolong his stay in office by finding excuses to postpone elections. Instead, he worked quietly and cautiously behind the scenes, trying to bring together the political parties, state institutions and the Election Commission (EC). He even seemed unfazed when criticised by the media. It was a mark of his success that he was able to maintain equidistance from all parties. Although the UCPN (Maoist) criticised the government after the election, this was only because the party fared poorly in it. 

Still, there was major opposition to Regmi’s appointment in the early days of March 2013. Many sections of society argued that the Chief Justice’s appointment to the executive would compromise the separation of powers necessary in a democracy. Their suspicions deepened when Regmi refused to resign as Chief Justice. However, his actions over the past year indicate that he acted with integrity. There is not a single known case where he tried to intervene in the court’s workings. A case in point is the ordinance on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Despite pressure from political leaders to have it passed as it is, the Supreme Court was able to take an independent stance and order that the ordinance be substantially revised. While we laud his efforts in running the election government, we find it even wiser that Regmi decided to formally resign as Chief Justice after his term as chairman of the IECM came to an end. This has ensured that the executive and the judiciary will remain autonomous. Having served the nation at a difficult juncture in its history and with distinction, his next move should be a dignified exit.