September 2001

1

Fiji: In parliamentary elections held August 25 to September 1, Interim Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's Fijian United Party wins 31 of 71 seats, followed by the Fiji Labour Party with 27 seats and the Conservative Alliance with 6. Qarase is sworn in as prime minister on September 10. The new cabinet is sworn in on September 12; Joketani Cokanasiga becomes interior minister.

2

Seychelles: President France-Albert René wins another term in office in elections held August 31 to September 2, taking 54.2% of the vote against 44.9% for Wavel Ramkalawan (Seychelles National Party).

3

Menezes

Dudau

Moldova: Nicolae Dudau is appointed as new foreign minister and sworn in the next day.
São Tomé and Príncipe: Fradique de Menezes takes office as president. Prime Minister Guilherme Posser da Costa is dismissed on September 18; Evaristo Carvalho is appointed as new prime minister on September 25 and sworn in the next day, his government including Patrice Trovoada as foreign minister, Luís Maria as defense and interior minister, and Maria Tebus as finance minister.

6

Ecuador: Marcelo Merlo takes office as interior minister.

7

Saint Kitts and Nevis: Elections on Nevis are won by the Concerned Citizens Movement. A new administration headed by Premier Vance Amory is sworn in on September 11.

9

Belarus: In presidential elections, incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka wins 75.6% of the vote, against 15.4% for Uladzimir Hancharyk and 2.5% for Syarhey Haydukevich. Turnout is 83.9%.

10

Norway: In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's Labour Party wins 43 of 165 seats, the Conservatives 38, the Progress Party 26, the Socialist Left Party 23, the Christian People's Party 22, the Centre Party 10, and the Liberal Party 2. Turnout is 74.5%.

12

Dade

Albania: Parliament gives Prime Minister Ilir Meta's new government a vote of confidence. It includes Arta Dade as foreign minister and Pandeli Majko as defense minister; Ilir Gjoni remains interior minister and Anastas Angjeli finance minister.
The Gambia: Baboucarr-Blaise Jagne is sworn in as foreign minister.

13

Nicaragua: Former acting president (1979) Francisco Urcuyo Maliaño dies.

16

Switzerland: Former Landammann of Aargau (1972-73, 1976-77, 1981-82) Louis Lang dies.

17

Niger: In a cabinet reshuffle, Aïchatou Mindaoudou is named foreign minister and Laouali Amadou interior minister.

Essy

Organization of African Unity: Amara Essy takes office as secretary-general.

18

Mayotte: Philippe de Mester is named prefect.

19

Morocco: Driss Jettou is named interior minister.

20

Alkatiri

East Timor: Mari Alkatiri is sworn in as chief minister. The cabinet includes José Ramos-Horta as foreign minister, Fernanda Mesquita Borges as finance minister, and Antoninho Bianco as minister for internal administration.
Venezuela: Former president (1952-58) Marcos Pérez Jiménez dies.

21

Estonia: A special government assembly made up of 101 parliamentarians and 266 local government delegates convenes to elect the next president after Parliament failed in August to reach a decision on the matter. In the first round of voting Arnold Rüütel receives 114 votes, followed by Toomas Savi (90), Peeter Tulviste (89), and Peeter Kreitzberg (72). In the following runoff Rüütel wins over Savi 186-155. He will be sworn in on October 8.
India: The Supreme Court unseats Jayaram Jayalalitha as chief minister of Tamil Nadu. O. Paneerselvam is sworn in as new chief minister.

23

Germany: In Hamburg elections, the Social Democratic Party wins 36.5% of the vote (46 of 121 seats), the Christian Democratic Union 26.2% (33), the Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive 19.4% (25), the Greens 8.5% (11), and the Free Democratic Party 5.1% (6). Turnout is 71%.
Poland: In parliamentary elections, the coalition of the Democratic Left Alliance-Labour Union wins 216 seats in the Sejm (41% of the vote), the Civic Platform 65 seats (12.7%), Self-Defense 53 seats (10.2%), Law and Justice 44 seats (9.5%), the Peasant Party 42 seats (9%), the League of Polish Families 38 seats (7.9%), and the German Minority Election Committee 2 seats (0.4%); in the Senate, the DLA-LU takes 75 seats, the Blok Senat 2001 15 seats, the Peasant Party 4 seats, and Self-Defense and the League of Polish Families 2 seats each. Turnout is 46.3%.
Russia: In gubernatorial elections in Rostov oblast, incumbent Vladimir Chub wins reelection with 78.1% of the vote; the category "against all candidates" comes second with 12.7%, while Pyotr Voloshin gets 7.4%. Turnout is 48%.

24

Comoros: Soldiers take over the capital of Anjouan, saying Mohamed Bacar has been deposed and Ahmed Aboubacar Foundi has been installed as "first leader of the authority" of the island. The coup is quashed the next day.

25

Campagnolo

Canada: Iona Campagnolo is installed as lieutenant governor of British Columbia.

27

India: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister (1982-83, 1992-94) Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy dies.
Malaysia: In elections in Sarawak, the National Front coalition takes 60 of the 62 seats of the parliament against one for the Democratic Action Party and one for an independent; Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is sworn in for a sixth term the next day.

28

Aruba: In parliamentary elections, Nelson Oduber's People's Electoral Movement wins 12 of 21 seats (52.4% of the vote), Prime Minister Henny Eman's People's Party 6 (26.7%), the Aruban Patriotic Party 2 (9.6%), and the Aruba Liberal Organization 1 (5.7%). Turnout is 86.5%.

29

Vietnam: Former South Vietnamese head of state (1965-75) Nguyen Van Thieu dies.