March 2002

1

Madagascar: Self-declared president Marc Ravalomanana names Narisoa Rajaonarivony as finance minister and Jean Seth Rambeloarijaona as interior minister. On March 4 he names Jules Mamizara as defense minister.
United States: Former Florida governor (1961-65) Farris Bryant dies.

2

Tiwari

Croatia: Former president of the Presidency (1988-90) Ivo Latin dies.
India: Jayaram Jayalalitha is sworn in again as chief minister of Tamil Nadu. In Uttaranchal, Narain Dutt Tiwari is sworn in as chief minister.
United States: In the mayoral runoff in New Orleans, Ray Nagin is elected with 59% of the votes against 41% for Richard Pennington.

Costa

3

São Tomé and Príncipe: In parliamentary elections, the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe wins 39.6% of the vote (24 of 55 seats), the Force for Change Democratic Movement 39.4% (23), and the Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2% (8). Turnout is 67%. On March 26 President Fradique de Menezes designates Gabriel Costa prime minister (officially appointed March 28).

4

Neptune

Rugova

Rexhepi

Haiti: President Jean-Bertrand Aristide designates Yvon Neptune as prime minister. He is ratified by parliament on March 12 and, after approval of his policy statement on March 14, takes office on March 15. Jocelerme Privert becomes interior minister.
India: Former governor of Tripura (1990-93), Manipur (1993), West Bengal (1993-98), and Sikkim (1995-96) K.V. Raghunatha Reddy dies.
Yugoslavia: The Kosovo parliament elects Ibrahim Rugova as president. Bajram Rexhepi is appointed prime minister.

5

Rann

Australia: Mike Rann (Labor) is sworn in as premier of South Australia.
Bolivia: José Luis Lupo Flores is appointed interior minister.
Croatia: An agreement of the coalition leaders provides that most of the ministers who resigned on February 27, including Defense Minister Jozo Rados, are retained in the cabinet.

6

Finland: Former governor of Mikkeli (1979-89) Uuno Voutilainen dies.

Demchuk

Russia: Nikolay Demchuk is approved as prime minister of Adygeya. President Khazret Sovmen's first choice for prime minister, Khazret Khuade, was rejected by parliament on February 27.
Somalia: Somaliland President Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal appoints Mohamed Said Gees as new foreign minister.

7

Bartleman

Canada: James K. Bartleman takes office as lieutenant governor of Ontario.
India: Okram Ibobi Singh is sworn in as chief minister of Manipur.
Tonga: In parliamentary elections, the Human Rights and Democracy Movement wins 7 of the 9 seats open to commoners.

8

Benin: Former prime minister (1964-65) and chairman of the Presidential Council (1972) Justin Ahomadegbé dies.
Haiti: Former foreign minister (1991) Jean-Robert Sabalat dies.
India: Uttar Pradesh is put under president's rule as no political party has been able to secure a majority in the new state assembly.
Madagascar: Defense Minister Marcel Ranjeva resigns. On March 9 President Didier Ratsiraka names Gen. Jean-Paul Bory as acting defense minister.

9

Somalia: The Transitional National Assembly passes a vote of confidence in the newly formed cabinet of Prime Minister Hassan Abshir Farah.

10

Colombia: In parliamentary elections, the Liberal Party wins 54 of 161 seats in the House of Representatives, and the Conservative Party 21. Turnout is 42.5%. In the Senate, the Liberals win 28 of 102 seats and the Conservatives 13. Turnout is 42.2%.
Congo (Brazzaville): In presidential elections, incumbent Denis Sassou-Nguesso is reelected with 89.4% of the vote against 2.7% for Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou. Turnout is 74.7%.

11

Dominican Republic: José Lois Malkum is named finance minister.
Wallis and Futuna: In parliamentary elections, the Rally for the Republic and its affiliates win 13 of 20 seats and the Socialist Party and its affiliates 7. Turnout is just under 83%.
Zimbabwe: In presidential elections held March 9-11, incumbent Robert Mugabe is reelected, according to official figures, with 56.2% of the votes against 41.9% for Morgan Tsvangirai.

12

Cyprus: Former president (1977-88) Spyros Kyprianou dies.

14

Turkmenistan: Defense Minister Gurbandurdy Begenjev is dismissed and replaced by Rejepbay Arazov.

15

Mikerevic

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dragan Mikerevic is elected as prime minister.

17

Portugal: In parliamentary elections, the Social Democrats win 40.1% of the votes (105 of 230 seats), the Socialists 37.8% (96), the Popular Party 8.7% (14), the Communist Party-Green Party coalition 6.9% (12), and the Left Bloc 2.7% (3). On March 21 President Jorge Sampaio asks Social Democrat leader José Manuel Durão Barroso to form the new government.
Russia: In elections in Tuva, President Sherig-ool Oorzhak receives 53.6% of the vote, followed by Sholban Kara-ool with 21.9% and Aleksandr Kashin with 7.5%. Turnout is 65.6%.

18

Keita

Mali: Prime Minister Mandé Sidibé resigns. He is replaced by Modibo Keita.

21

Pakistan: Former Sindh governor (1978-84) Sadiq ul Rashid Mohammad Abbasi dies.
United States: Former Georgia governor (1947, 1948-55) Herman Talmadge dies.

22

Madagascar: Self-declared president Marc Ravalomanana names his own provincial governors, styled "presidents of the special delegation": Ferdinand Razakarimanana for Antananarivo, Pascal Jaosoa for Antsiranana, Pety Rakotoniaina for Fianarantsoa, Pierre Tsiranana for Mahajanga, Victor Sikonina for Toamasina, and Thierry Raveloson for Toliara. Only Razakarimanana is effectively installed, however; the military governor of Antananarivo, Léon-Claude Raveloarison, resigns on March 27.
Papua New Guinea: Former governor-general (1983-89) Sir Kingsford Dibela dies.

24

Dominican Republic: Former member of the Triumvirate (1963-65) Ramón Tapia Espinal dies.

26

Russia: Former governor of Tula oblast (1991-97) Nikolay Sevryugin dies.

27

Ghana: The Dagomba ruler Yakubu II is killed in tribal clashes. This causes the resignation of Interior Minister Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu.

30

Solomon Islands: Finance Minister Michael Maina is dismissed. Laurie Chan is named as new finance minister.

31

Comoros: Voting takes place for the first presidents of the autonomous islands of Anjouan and Mohéli. In Anjouan (turnout 72.6%) Col. Mohamed Bacar is elected president with 69.8% of the vote; his nearest challenger, Ibrahim Halidi, gets 10.5%. In Mohéli (turnout 82.7%), Mohamed Hassanaly with 26.2% and Mohamed Said Fazul with 22.2% will take part in a second round.
Ukraine: In parliamentary elections, former prime minister Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party wins 23.5% of the vote (112 seats), the Communists 20% (66), For United Ukraine 12% (102), the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7.2% (21), the Socialist Party 6.9% (24), and the Social Democratic Party (United) 6.2% (23).