In 2024 more voters than ever in history are heading to the polls, but one of the most extraordinary elections happened this week

Nearly half the world's population has or will be voting this year. The Detail takes a look at one democracy of vital importance - and it's not the United States or the UK

Taiwan's new president William Lai was inaugurated on Monday. He's been branded a troublemaker by China and is President Xi Jinping's new number one enemy.

Just days after Taiwan's new president called on China to stop making threats, Beijing has launched "punishment" military drills around the island.

Everyone was watching to see what China's reaction to the swearing in of President William Lai Ching-te would be. On Thursday night we found out.

China had already postured, calling Lai calling him a dangerous separatist.

Anna Fifield, the Wellington-based Asia-Pacific editor for the Washington Post, is one of the analysts who's been watching the situation develop, and she talks to The Detail today.

At his swearing in ceremony on Monday President William Lai Ching-te said it was up to Beijing to ensure the world is free from fear of war and reiterated that he wanted to maintain the status quo.

The superpower's response was to start the drills involving army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan.

Fifield tells The Detail that China has been conducting military exercises over the last couple of years that "look very much like preparation for an invasion".

"That is for military manoeuvres and practise but also to intimidate the Taiwanese people and just frankly to wear down the Taiwanese military," she says.

Taiwan has never been ruled by the Communist Party but President Xi Jinpeng's ambition is for Taiwan to return as part of its One China policy, Fifield says.

"He has said that it is inevitable that Taiwan will be unified with China but he hasn't laid out how that will happen and there's a lot of conjecture around the place about whether Xi Jinpeng would order an invasion, what that would look like, when that would happen. That's something they talk about as inevitable and may try to happen in some shape or form over the next few years."

Fifield explains why the election for this self-governing island of nearly 24 million was so extraordinary in a record year for national elections.

Taiwan is a vital line of communication in the Asia-Pacific region, uncomfortably close to China for many of its people, and determined to maintain its democratic systems.

"The turnout was 72 percent, which is pretty normal in Taiwan - they take their democracy pretty seriously," she says. …

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details