Voters in Pacific nation Vanuatu cast ballots Thursday in a snap general election, a contest widely dismissed as a "distraction" while citizens rebuild from last month's deadly tremor.

Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia turned up the heat on the digital cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. LaPaglia, 25, opened up about her breakup with Zach Bryan while stunning on the magazine’s cover, which launched on Wednesday, January 14. For her photo shoot, she rocked a number of sexy bikinis, beaded swimsuits, plunging one pieces and more.

The parliament consists of 52 members, elected from 18 constituencies. According to the data shared by the Vanuatu Electoral Office, there are 217 candidates in the fray. Among the candidates, seven are women.

The snap election was called last November when the opposition tried to oust the government with a motion of no confidence, and President Nikenike Vurobaravu dissolved the parliament on the request of ministers. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Port Vila on Dec. 17, 2024, leaving at least 14 people dead and more than 200 injured.

Vanuatu held a snap general election on Thursday after Prime Minister Charlot Salwai’s decision to go to the polls two years early rather than risk a no-confidence vote in his divided coalition government.

Voting began on Thursday to elect a new government in Vanuatu, a month after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific island nation’s capital Port Vila, killing at least 16 people, triggering landslides and damaging several major buildings.

Residents line up to vote amid political instability and buildings and infrastructure shattered by last month’s earthquake

Vanuatu is set for its fifth prime minister in just over two years, as voting gets underway in the Pacific nation's snap election on Thursday.