June 2001

1

Luginbühl

Lei

Dipendra

Gyanendra

Malaysia: Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin resigns. Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad takes over as finance minister on June 5.
Nepal: King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva is shot and killed by his son, Crown Prince Dipendra, who also kills several other members of the royal family before shooting himself. Dipendra survives (though clinically dead) and on June 2 he is proclaimed to have succeeded as king as of June 1, while Prince Gyanendra (younger brother of Birendra) is named regent. On June 4 Dipendra dies, and Gyanendra becomes king.
Switzerland: Werner Luginbühl becomes president of the government of Bern and Hermann Lei president of the government of Thurgau.

2

India: Manipur is placed under president's rule.

3

Peru: Alejandro Toledo wins the presidential election runoff with 53.1% of the vote, against 46.9% for Alan García. Toledo will take office July 28.

5

Campbell

Canada: Gordon Campbell is sworn in as premier of British Columbia.
Turkey: Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit sacks Interior Minister Sadettin Tantan and replaces him with Rüstü Kazim Yücelen.
United States: James K. Hahn is elected mayor of Los Angeles, defeating Antonio Villaraigosa 54%-46%. In the Jersey City runoff, Glenn Cunningham is elected with 52.9% of the vote. Both will take office July 1.

7

Bolivia: Former president (1952-56, 1960-64, 1985-89) Víctor Paz Estenssoro dies.

Straw

United Kingdom: In parliamentary elections, the Labour Party wins 413 of 659 seats (42.1% of the vote), the Conservative Party 166 (32.7%), the Liberal Democrats 52 (18.8%), Ulster Unionist Party 6, Scottish National Party 5, Democratic Unionist Party 5, Plaid Cymru 4, Sinn Féin 4, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, independent 1. Turnout is 59.2%. On June 8 Prime Minister Tony Blair unveils his new cabinet. Jack Straw becomes foreign secretary, while David Blunkett replaces Straw as home secretary.

8

Iran: In presidential elections, incumbent Mohammad Khatami wins 78.3% of the valid votes, followed by Ahmad Tavakoli with 15.9% and Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani with 2.7%. Turnout is about 67%.
Tokelau: Former administrator (1971-72) Duncan MacIntyre dies.
Zimbabwe: Joice Mujuru is named acting defense minister.

10

San Marino: In parliamentary elections, the Christian Democratic Party wins 25 of 60 seats (41.5% of the vote), the Socialist Party 15 (24.2%), the Party of Democrats 12 (20.8%), the Popular Alliance of Democrats 5 (8.2%), and the Communist Refoundation 2 (3.4%).

11

Berlusconi

Ruggiero

Italy: Silvio Berlusconi is sworn in as prime minister. Renato Ruggiero becomes foreign minister, Antonio Martino defense minister, Giulio Tremonti finance minister, and Claudio Scajola interior minister. The government wins votes of confidence in the Senate on June 20 (175-133) and in the Chamber of Deputies on June 21 (351-261).
Kenya: In a cabinet reshuffle, President Daniel arap Moi names Chris Obure as new foreign minister and Vice President George Saitoti as minister of home affairs.

12

Indonesia: Rizal Ramli becomes finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

14

Krizanovic

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jozo Krizanovic becomes chairman of the Presidency.

15

Italy: Renzo Tondo becomes president of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

16

Wowereit

Germany: The Berlin state parliament removes Governing Mayor Eberhard Diepgen in a vote of no confidence and elects Klaus Wowereit as new governing mayor (89-78).

17

Bulgaria: In parliamentary elections, the National Movement Simeon II wins 42.7% of the vote (120 of 240 seats), Prime Minister Ivan Kostov's Union of Democratic Forces 18.2% (51 seats), the Socialist Party 17.1% (48), and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms 7.5% (21). Turnout is 66.7%.
Russia: Sergey Darkin is elected governor of Primorsky kray with 40.2% of the vote; 33.7% vote for "none of the above"; Gennady Apanasenko receives 24.3%. Turnout is 35.9%. Viktor Cherepkov, who came second in the first round, was excluded from the ballot by a court decision three days before. Darkin will take office July 4.

18

Cyprus: The government of North Cyprus, which resigned on May 24, is confirmed by parliament without changes.

20

Canada: Former lieutenant governor of Newfoundland (1991-97) Frederick William Russell dies.

Gentvilas

Lithuania: Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas resigns. Eugenijus Gentvilas is appointed acting prime minister.
Pakistan: President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar is removed and Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf is sworn in as president.

21

Réunion: Gonthier Friederici is named prefect.

22

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Prime Minister Bozidar Matic resigns.
Solomon Islands: Foreign Minister Danny Philip resigns.

24

Albania: In the first round of the parliamentary elections (turnout 54.9%), the ruling Socialist Party wins 31 of the 100 directly-elected seats; the opposition Union for Victory coalition, formed by the Democratic Party, receives 16 seats; a second round will be held on July 8.
Iraq: Mahmud Dhiyab al-Ahmad is appointed interior minister.
Italy: Regional elections are held in Sicilia. For the first time, the president is elected directly; Salvatore Cuffaro wins with 59.1% of the vote, followed by Leoluca Orlando with 36.6% and Sergio D'Antoni with 4.3%. In the parliamentary elections, Forza Italia wins 25.1% against 11.3% for the National Alliance and 10.1% for the Democrats of the Left.
The Netherlands: Former queen's commissioner of Gelderland (1957-73) Hugo Willibrord Bloemers dies.

26

India: Former governor of Goa (1994-95), Orissa (1995-98), and Andhra Pradesh (1997) Gopala Ramanujam dies.

29

Hollingworth

Australia: Peter Hollingworth is sworn in as governor-general.
Portugal: In a cabinet reshuffle, Finance Minister Joaquim Pina Moura and Defense Minister Júlio Castro Caldas are replaced by Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins and Rui Pena, respectively.
United Nations: Kofi Annan is elected to a second term as secretary-general.
Yugoslavia: Prime Minister Zoran Zizic resigns.