August 1998

1

Chile: In a cabinet reshuffle, Raúl Troncoso becomes interior minister, replacing Carlos Figueroa Serrano, and José Florencio Guzmán replaces Troncoso as defense minister.

3

The Netherlands: A new cabinet is sworn in. It includes Jozias van Aartsen as foreign minister, Frank de Grave as defense minister, and Bram Peper as interior minister. Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm retains his post.

4

Bolivia: President Hugo Banzer names Herbert Müller as finance minister.
South Korea: Foreign Minister Park Chung Soo resigns. He is succeeded by Hong Soon Young.
Mongolia: The ruling coalition nominates Davaadorjiyn Ganbold for prime minister, but President Natsagiyn Bagabandi subsequently rejects him six times. On August 19 Bagabandi nominates his own candidate for prime minister, Dogsomyn Ganbold, who in turn is rejected by the coalition. On August 28 the coalition nominates Rinchinnyamyn Amarjargal and he is approved by Bagabandi on August 31.
Turkey: Kutlu Aktas replaces Murat Basesgioglu as interior minister.

5

Bulgaria: Former Communist Party leader (1954-89), chairman of the Council of Ministers (1962-71), and chairman of the State Council (1971-89) Todor Zhivkov dies.
Congo (Kinshasa): Foreign Minister Bizima Karaha joins up with rebels vowing to topple President Laurent Kabila. On August 22 Kabila names Jean-Charles Okoto as new foreign minister.
India: Former Assam chief minister (1982) Keshav Chandra Gogoi dies.

6

Pakistan: In a cabinet reshuffle, Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan is replaced by Finance Minister Sartaj Aziz. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif takes over the finance portfolio.

Pastrana

Fernández

7

Colombia: Andrés Pastrana Arango takes office as president. His vice president is Gustavo Bell. Guillermo Fernández de Soto is foreign minister; Rodrigo Lloreda Caicedo, defense minister; Néstor Humberto Martínez, interior minister; and Juan Camilo Restrepo, finance minister.

Lortkipanidze

Georgia: Vazha Lortkipanidze becomes secretary of state.

10

Mahuad

Ecuador: Jamil Mahuad takes office as president. Gustavo Noboa is vice president; José Gallardo, defense minister; Ana Lucía Armijos, interior minister; Fidel Jaramillo, finance minister. José Ayala Lasso continues as foreign minister.

12

Honduras: Former foreign minister (1976-79) Roberto Palma Gálvez dies.
Yemen: Former chief minister of the Federation of South Arabia (1965) Abdul-Qawi Makkawi dies.

13

Mexico: Former Tamaulipas governor (1957-63) Norberto Treviño Zapata dies.
Switzerland: Former president of the government of Thurgau (1975-76) Alfred Abegg dies.

14

New Zealand: Prime Minister Jenny Shipley sacks Treasurer Winston Peters and appoints Finance Minister Bill Birch as treasurer.

15

Cubas

Paraguay: Raúl Cubas Grau takes office as president. He names Dido Florentín Bogado as foreign minister, José Segovia Boltes as defense minister, Gerhard Doll as finance minister, and Rubén Arias Mendoza as interior minister.

17

South Korea: Parliament ratifies Kim Jong Pil as prime minister.

18

Comoros: President Mohamed Taki appoints Ali Boina Mze as finance minister.

19

Czech Republic: The government of Prime Minister Milos Zeman wins a confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament (73-39).
Jordan: King Hussein appoints Fayez Tarawneh as prime minister. He is sworn in the following day. Abdul Ilah Khatib becomes foreign minister and Nayef al-Qadi interior minister; Michel Marto replaces Suleiman Hafez as finance minister.

20

Vietnam: Former South Vietnam prime minister (1975) Vu Van Mau dies.

21

Peru: President Alberto Fujimori names Alberto Pandolfi again as prime minister after Javier Valle Riestra, who replaced Pandolfi as prime minister less than three months ago, resigned. Fujimori also names Gen. Julio Salazar as defense minister, to replace Gen. César Saucedo.
Switzerland: Former Landammann of Aargau (1979-80, 1984-85, 1988-89) Kurt Lareida dies.

22

Nigeria: A new cabinet is named. It includes Ignatius C. Olisemeka as foreign minister and Ismaila Usman as finance minister.

23

Russia: President Boris Yeltsin sacks Prime Minister Sergey Kiriyenko and appoints Kiriyenko's predecessor Viktor Chernomyrdin as acting prime minister. In the first vote in the Duma (August 31), Chernomyrdin is rejected by a vote of 253-94.

24

United States: Former Arizona governor (1967-75) Jack Williams dies.

27

Musa

Belize: The opposition People's United Party, led by Said Musa, wins 26 of 29 seats in parliamentary elections (59.3% of the vote). Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel's United Democratic Party (39.2% of the vote) keeps only 3. Turnout is 90.1%. Musa is sworn in as prime minister on August 28.

29

Australia: In Tasmania elections, the Labor Party led by Jim Bacon wins 14 of 25 seats, the Liberal Party 10, and the Greens 1.