In the Solomon Islands, the night before an election is known as Devil’s Night.

Political candidates offer bribes - handing out everything from cash and boat motors, sacks of rice and solar panels to secure last-minute votes. Vote-buying has been a common tactic in the Pacific island nation’s elections - hard to stamp out, despite toughened electoral laws.

But this is not why some of the world’s biggest powers are paying such close attention to Wednesday’s vote.

That is because this far-flung part of the southern Pacific plays a crucial role in the jostling between China and the US - with its ally Australia - for influence in the region.

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Up until 2017, Australia led a peacekeeping mission here.

Two years after the mission ended, Prime Minister Sogavare chose to drop his country’s decades-long diplomatic relationship with Taiwan in favour of Beijing. Then, in 2022, he signed a security pact with China - the details of which are still not publicly known.

That set off major alarm bells for some of its neighbours, including Australia. At one point, there was talk the treaty could allow a Chinese naval base to be established in the US-dominated Pacific region - rumours dismissed by Mr Sogavare.