KAMPALA (AP) – Ethiopians will vote on Monday in a landmark election overshadowed by reports of famine in the country’s war-hit Tigray region and beset by logistical problems that mean some people won’t be able to vote until September. The election is the centerpiece of a reform drive by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose rise to power in 2018 seemed to signal a break with decades of authoritarian rule and led to his Nobel Peace Prize the following year. He has described the poll as “the nation’s first attempt at free and fair elections.” Abiy’s ruling Prosperity Party, formed in 2019 by merging groups who made up the previous ruling coalition, is widely expected to cement its hold on power. The party that wins a majority of seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives will form the next government. “We will secure Ethiopia’s unity,” Abiy said ahead of his final campaign rally on Wednesday, repeating his vow of a free and fair election after past votes were marred by allegations of fraud. But opposition groups have accused Ethiopia’s ruling party of harassment, manipulation and threats of violence that echo abuses of the past.

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YEREVAN (Dispatches) – Armenia’s premier is facing a tough challenge at the polls after a humiliating defeat for Armenian forces in last year’s fighting with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the early election for Sunday, seeking to assuage public anger over the peace deal he signed in November that triggered months of protests demanding his resignation. The Moscow-brokered agreement ended six weeks of fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, but saw Azerbaijan reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that had been held by Armenian forces for more than a quarter-century. The deal was celebrated as a major triumph in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, but thousands of Armenians took to the streets in Yerevan and denounced it as a betrayal of their national interests.

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BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Thousands of Argentines took to the streets of the capital Buenos Aires on Friday to demand improved pay and financial relief amid a flailing economy. The protesters, who were made up of labor unions and other activists, marched through Argentina’s capital carrying banners calling for a strong welfare state and speaking out against the country’s international debt obligations. Latin America’s third-largest economy was in a deep crisis already before the pandemic hit. The health crisis is now expected to shrink around 12% this year, driving millions into poverty and leaving almost six out of every ten children and adolescents below the poverty line, United Nations data show.

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WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The deadly Delta coronavirus variant will “probably” become the dominant strain in the United States in the coming months, according to the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “It’s more transmissible than the Alpha variant or UK variant that we have here. We saw that quickly become the dominant strain in a period of one or two months,” Rochelle Walensky told “Good Morning America” on Friday. Walensky added, “I anticipate that is going to be what happens with the Delta strain here.” The deadly B.1.617.2 variant, known as Delta coronavirus variant, was first identified in India. Walensky noted that vaccines have been effective against the new variants of the coronavirus; however, she said the virus could mutate, making the vaccines presently administrated less effective. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden, who also warned about the deadly risks posed by the deadly and highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, urged Americans who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to get inoculated as quickly as possible.

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Obama-era government ethics chief Walter Shaub has harshly criticized the Biden administration, accusing it of nepotism. “The jobs went to privileged kiddos with mommies & daddies who cozied up to POTUS. Nepotism is illegal”, Shaub wrote in his post on Twitter. His statements follow this week’s report by The Washington Post, saying that relatives of senior aides have been employed by the administration. According to the newspaper, four children of Biden’s most trusted aide Steve Ricchetti work in the government. Daniel Ricchetti is a senior adviser in the office of the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. His daughter Shannon Ricchetti is deputy associate director of the office of the White House social secretary, while Tyler Ricchetti has worked for two years as an aide to Debbie Dengell. The last person to join the government’s ranks is JJ Ricchetti, who was hired last week by the Treasury Department. Eight more relatives of government officials received jobs in the Biden administration, The Washington Post writes.