More than 1 billion people, most of them Asians, will vote this year in a democratic pageant that is unprecedented in human history. The parade to the ballot box began last weekend in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin won a second term in office. The march continues this Saturday in Taiwan and a day later in Malaysia.
After that, the celebration of democracy continues in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, India, the Philippines - and that is only until May.
It is a heady time for democrats. But pictures from South Korea last weekend - photos of legislators being dragged from the podium - have tempered my enthusiasm. Those scenes recalled similar moments in Taiwan, where parliamentarians attacked each other in the National Assembly.
In most places where democracy is in place, the system is far from perfect.
A good number of America's China watchers have been worried about what President Chen Shui-bian is willing to do to win this weekend's vote. After pushing the envelope far enough to be censured by US President George W. Bush last year, Mr Chen has toned down his rhetoric, but a close race could push him to the edge in the final days before the ballot.
Indonesia's politicians are likely to continue to soft-pedal the threat posed by Islamic extremism in their country, to court the Muslim vote. Given the government's reluctance to tackle that threat - it took two horrific bombings to galvanise the authorities and, even today, the response is uneven - the concern is real