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.

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 has voted in a snap election amidst the upheaval of a destructive earthquake that struck this South Pacific island nation last month