October 2001

1

Zia

Navitski

Bangladesh: In parliamentary elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins 191 of 300 seats, the Awami League 62, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh 18, and the Jatiya Party (Ershad) 14. Turnout is 74.9%. Khaleda Zia is sworn in as prime minister on October 10 with her government, including herself as defense minister, A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury as foreign minister, Saifur Rahman as finance minister, and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury as home affairs minister.
Belarus: Henadz Navitski is named as new prime minister. The Chamber of Representatives confirms this appointment on October 10 (81-12).
India: Former Arunachal Pradesh governor (1991-93) Surendra Nath Dwivedi dies.
San Marino: Alberto Cecchetti (Socialist) and Gino Giovagnoli (Christian Democrat) take office as captains-regent.

Cecchetti

Giovagnoli

4

Miller

Poland: President Aleksander Kwasniewski asks Leszek Miller to form a new government. He is sworn in as prime minister on October 19. The new cabinet includes former prime minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz as foreign minister, Jerzy Szmajdzinski as defense minister, Krzysztof Janik as interior minister, and Marek Belka as finance minister.

5

Schweiker

United States: Mark S. Schweiker is sworn in as governor of Pennsylvania, replacing Tom Ridge, who takes office as director of the new federal Office of Homeland Security on October 8.

7

Modi

India: Narendra Modi is sworn in as chief minister of Gujarat, following the resignation of Keshubhai Patel.

8

Rüütel

Girma

Estonia: Arnold Rüütel takes office as president.
Ethiopia: Parliament in joint session elects Girma Wolde-Giorgis as president. He takes office the same day.
Russia: Former chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian S.F.S.R. (1958-62) Dmitry Polyansky dies.

11

Mexico: Former governor of Aguascalientes (1980-86) Rodolfo Landeros Gallegos dies.

12

Chad: Former foreign minister (1963-64) Maurice Ngangtar dies.
Ecuador: Carlos Julio Emanuel becomes economy and finance minister following the resignation of Jorge Gallardo.

14

Argentina: Elections to the Senate and to one-half of the Chamber of Deputies are held. Turnout is 73.7%. In the Chamber of Deputies the new party standings (including the seats that were not renewed) are: Justicialist Party (PJ), 113 seats; Radical Civic Union (UCR), 74; Front for a Country in Solidarity (FREPASO), 17; Alternative for a Republic of Equals (ARI), 17; Federal Interbloc (IF), 14; in the Senate: PJ 40, UCR 24, Neuquén Popular Movement 2, FREPASO 1. In gubernatorial elections in Corrientes, Raúl Romero Feris (New Party) wins 43.1% and Ricardo Colombi (UCR) 41.1%; a runoff will be held November 4.
China: Former military governor of Fengtian (1928) Zhang Xueliang dies.

15

India: George Fernandes is reinstated as defense minister.

16

Ethiopia: Abadula Gemeda is named as new defense minister.

17

Bermuda: Sir John Vereker is appointed as new governor; he will take up his appointment in 2002.

18

The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh is reelected with 53% of the vote; his nearest rival Ousainou Darboe wins 32.7%, followed by Hamat Bah with 7.7%, Sheriff Dibba with 3.4%, and Sidia Jatta with 3.2%. Turnout is 89.8%.

19

China: Former governor of Ningxia (1960-67) Yang Jingren dies.
Mauritania: In the first round of parliamentary elections, the ruling Social and Democratic Republican Party (PRDS) wins 54 of 81 seats, two government-allied parties 5 seats (the Assembly for Democracy and Unity 3 and the Union for Democracy and Progress 2), the Action for Change 4, the Gathering of Democratic Forces 3, and the Popular Front and the Union of Forces of Progress (UFP) one each. Turnout is 54.5%. In the second round on October 26, the PRDS wins 10 seats, the UFP 2, and the Union for Democracy and Progress 1. Turnout is above 55%.

Petersen

Norway: Kjell Magne Bondevik takes office as prime minister. His government includes Jan Petersen as foreign minister, Kristin Krohn Devold as defense minister, and Per-Kristian Foss as finance minister.

20

Australia: In elections in the Australian Capital Territory, the Labor Party wins 8 seats (41.7% of the vote), the Liberal Party 7 (31.6%), the Greens 1 (9.1%), and the Australian Democrats 1 (8%).

21

Chad: Former foreign minister (1961-63) Djibrine Kerallah dies.
Germany: In state elections in Berlin, the Social Democratic Party wins 29.7% of the vote (44 of 141 seats), the Christian Democratic Union 23.7% (35), the Party of Democratic Socialism 22.6% (33), the Free Democratic Party 9.9% (15), and the Greens 9.1% (14). Turnout is 68.2%.
Spain: In Galicia elections, the People's Party wins 50.9% of the vote (41 of 75 seats), the Galician Nationalist Bloc 23.3% (17), and the Socialist Party of Galicia 21.8% (17). Turnout is 64.2%.

22

Kerin

Australia: Rob Kerin becomes premier of South Australia following the resignation of John Olsen.

Knight

Jamaica: In a cabinet reshuffle, Keith Desmond Knight is named as foreign minister; he will take office November 1.

23

Dominican Republic: President Hipólito Mejia replaces Interior Minister Rafael Suverbí Bonilla with Pedro Franco Badia in a cabinet reshuffle.
Greece: In a cabinet reshuffle, Nikos Christodoulakis becomes finance minister, Yiannos Papantoniou defense minister, and Kostas Skandalidis interior minister.

24

French Polynesia: Michel Mathieu is named as new high commissioner.
Ukraine: Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk is fired.

25

Italy: Mauro Pili is elected president of Sardegna.

28

Russia: In gubernatorial elections in Oryol oblast, incumbent Yegor Stroyev wins reelection with 91.6% of the vote. Turnout is 71%.

Ali

Somalia: Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaid's government is defeated in a no-confidence motion in the Transitional National Assembly (141-29); Deputy Prime Minister Osman Jama Ali becomes acting prime minister.

29

Pakistan: Khalid Maqbool is sworn in as governor of Punjab.

30

Oduber

Koshiyari

Aruba: Nelson Oduber is sworn in as prime minister.
India: Bhagat Singh Koshiyari is sworn in as chief minister of Uttaranchal.

31

Beust

Germany: Ole von Beust is sworn in as first mayor of Hamburg.
India: Former governor of Assam (1968-73), Nagaland (1968-73), Meghalaya (1970-73), Manipur (1972-73), Tripura (1972-73), Jammu and Kashmir (1981-84), and Gujarat (1984-86) Braj Kumar Nehru dies.
Papua New Guinea: In a cabinet reshuffle, John Waiko becomes foreign minister.