In his concession speech on May 13, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) thanked the people of India for having given him their support for five years; promised full cooperation with Sonia Gandhi, leader of the largest victorious party, Congress; and noted that, although his government had been defeated, the results were a continuing triumph for India's democracy.

Indeed they were, in more ways than one. The efficiency and integrity of the election machinery must rank among the most advanced and sophisticated in the world. The counting of 387 million votes -- yes, 387 million -- had begun in the morning. By 10 that night, the results of 533 of the 543 seats up for grabs could be accessed on the official Web site of the election commission of India. The remaining 10 were completed the next day.

The fact that the ruling party had suffered such a stunning upset underscored the professionalism and neutrality of the commission. It chose the dates for the elections after the government dissolved Parliament; it decided to stagger it over five rounds from April 20 to May 10; it organized and conducted the elections and the counting. Had the government's wishes prevailed -- as they do in most Western democracies on this issue -- elections would have been held considerably earlier, thereby depriving the opposition parties valuable extra time in which to get their act together.