Ethiopia’s Tigray region holds election in defiance

REUTERS - Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region held regional elections on Wednesday in a show of defiance against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who called the vote illegal but said the government would not respond with force. Ethiopia had been due to hold national and regional elections on Aug. 29 but postponed them indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tigray opposition politicians say this was a move by Abiy to prolong his rule, and decided to go ahead with the vote, even after senior lawmakers ruled it unconstitutional. The confrontation with Tigray is the latest headache for Abiy.