Rulers
December 2002
1
Mozambique: Former high commissioner (1968-70) Baltazar Rebelo de Sousa dies.
Pakistan: Jam Mohammad Yousaf is elected (47-12) and sworn in as chief minister of Balochistan.
Rop |
Slovenia: In the presidential election runoff, Janez Drnovsek wins 56.5% of the vote against 43.5% for Barbara Brezigar. Turnout is 64.4%. On December 2 Drnovsek resigns as prime minister; Finance Minister Anton Rop is named to succeed him on December 6 and is approved by parliament (63-24) and sworn in on December 11. Rop's government is approved on December 19 (54-25) and includes Dusan Mramor as finance minister. Drnovsek is sworn in as president on December 22.
Moutinot |
Switzerland: Laurent Moutinot becomes president of the Council of State of Genève.
United States: Former secretary of the Air Force (1973-75) and administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (1975-77) John L. McLucas dies.
2
Murkowski | 
Lingle |
United States: Frank Murkowski takes office as governor of Alaska and Linda Lingle as governor of Hawaii.
3
Pearce | 
Enoksen |
Falkland Islands: Howard Pearce takes office as governor.
Greenland: In parliamentary elections, the Siumut party wins 28% of the vote (10 of 31 seats), Inuit Ataqatigiit 25% (8), Atassut 20% (7), and the Democrats 16% (5). Turnout is 75%. On December 8 Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit agree to form a coalition government with Hans Enoksen as prime minister and Josef Motzfeldt as finance minister. Parliament confirms Enoksen's cabinet on December 14.
Togo: President Gnassingbé Eyadéma appoints a new cabinet; Roland Kpotsra replaces Koffi Panou as foreign minister, François Akila Esso Boko replaces Sizing Walla as interior minister, and Ayaovi Demba Tignonkpa replaces Kossi Assimaidou as finance minister.
4
Guinea-Bissau: Augusto Ussumane So is named as new finance minister.
Switzerland: Parliament elects Pascal Couchepin as president for 2003 and Ruth Metzler as vice president. Micheline Calmy-Rey is elected federal councillor with 131 votes against 68 for Ruth Lüthi. She will take office January 1; a reshuffle of portfolios is made on December 11, by which Calmy-Rey will take foreign affairs, Couchepin interior, and Joseph Deiss economy.
5
F. dos Santos |
Angola: President José Eduardo dos Santos names Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos as prime minister. He and his cabinet are installed on December 6; Osvaldo Serra Van-Dúnem becomes interior minister and José Pedro de Morais finance minister, while João Bernardo de Miranda remains foreign minister and Kundi Paihama defense minister.
Myanmar: Former prime minister (1958-60, 1962-74), chairman of the Revolutionary Council (1962-74), and president (1974-81) Ne Win dies.
6
Kiribati: In the second round of parliamentary elections, the government of President Teburoro Tito suffers heavy losses.
Seychelles: In parliamentary elections held December 4-6, President France-Albert René's Seychelles People's Progressive Front wins 54.3% of the vote (23 of 34 seats) and the Seychelles National Party 42.6% (11). Turnout is 87%.
United States: Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill resigns. On December 9 John Snow is named to succeed him.
7
Bosnia and Herzegovina: The president of the Republika Srpska, Dragan Cavic, appoints Dragan Mikerevic as prime minister-designate.
India: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister (1982-84) Sripati Mishra dies.
Sweden: Former governor of Kronoberg (1965-70) and Stockholm (1977-84) Gunnar Helén dies.
Zambia: Interior Minister Lackson Mapushi is killed in a car crash. Ludwig Sondashi subsequently becomes acting interior minister.
8
Solomon Islands: Finance Minister Laurie Chan resigns. He is moved to foreign affairs on December 12 while Deputy Prime Minister Snyder Rini takes over the finance portfolio.
Micic |
Yugoslavia: In presidential elections in Serbia, Vojislav Kostunica wins 57.5% of the votes against 36.3% for Vojislav Seselj and 3.6% for Borislav Pelevic; however, at 45% the turnout is again below the required minimum of 50%. Parliament Speaker Natasa Micic becomes acting president on December 30.
11
Indonesia: Sinyo Harry Sarundajang is installed as acting governor of Maluku, replacing Saleh Latuconsina, who stayed in office as caretaker after his term of office ended on November 11.
12
Argentina: Mercedes Marina Aragonés de Juárez takes office as governor of Santiago del Estero.
India: In state elections in Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party wins 126 seats and the Congress Party 51. Turnout is 61.7%.
Indonesia: Usman Ja'far is elected governor of Kalimantan Barat.
The Netherlands: Defense Minister Benk Korthals resigns. Henk Kamp takes over his portfolio.
14
Papua New Guinea: Former Madang governor (2002) Stahl Musa is killed in a plane crash.
15
Equatorial Guinea: President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is reelected with 97.1% of the votes against 2.2% for Celestino Bonifacio Bacalé. Opposition parties withdrew their candidates about two hours after voting started, citing irregularities.
Madagascar: In parliamentary elections, President Marc Ravalomanana's I Love Madagascar party wins 102 of 160 seats, his allies within the National Unity coalition 23, independents 22, and minor parties 13. Turnout is 67.6%.
16
Guatemala: Edgar Armando Gutiérrez Girón is named foreign minister.
Pakistan: Ali Mohammad Mahar is elected as chief minister of Sindh (89-73). He is sworn in on December 17.
Poston |
Turks and Caicos Islands: Jim Poston is sworn in as governor.
17
Brazil: Former foreign minister (1963) Evandro Cavalcânti Lins e Silva dies.
China: Liang Baohua is appointed acting governor of Jiangsu.
San Marino: In a cabinet reshuffle, Fiorenzo Stolfi becomes secretary of state for foreign and political affairs, Loris Francini secretary of state for internal affairs, and Pier Marino Mularoni secretary of state for finance.
18
Canada: Former governor general (1990-95) Ramon Hnatyshyn dies.
Gibraltar: Sir Francis Richards is appointed as governor. He is to take office in May 2003.
19
South Korea: Roh Moo Hyun of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party wins presidential elections with 48.9% of the vote, against 46.6% for Lee Hoi Chang of the Grand National Party. Turnout is 70.2%. Roh will take office Feb. 25, 2003.
20
Terzic |
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Adnan Terzic is designated prime minister. He is elected by parliament on December 23.
India: Former Gujarat chief minister (1975-76, 1977-80) Babubhai Jashbhai Patel dies.
21
China: Ji Yunshi is elected acting governor of Hebei.
22
Guyana: Former prime minister (1984-85), president (1985-92), and foreign minister (1990-92) Desmond Hoyte dies.
Lithuania: In presidential elections, incumbent Valdas Adamkus wins 35.3% of the vote, Rolandas Paksas 19.7%, and Arturas Paulauskas 8.3%. Turnout is 53.9%. A runoff will be held January 5.
Yugoslavia: In presidential elections in Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic wins 86.3% of the vote and Dragan Hajdukovic 6.1%, but, as before in Serbia, the vote fails because of a low turnout - 45.7%.
25
Russia: Head of the Republic of Karelia Sergey Katanandov appoints Pavel Chernov as prime minister, and he is approved by Parliament the same day.
27
Kibaki |
Kenya: Mwai Kibaki of the opposition National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) wins presidential elections with 62.3% of the vote against 31.2% for Uhuru Kenyatta, candidate of the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU), and 5.9% for Simeon Nyachae of the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People (FORD-People). In parliamentary elections, NARC wins 125 of 210 seats, KANU 64, and FORD-People 14. Turnout is 55.9%. Kibaki is sworn in as president on December 30.
Ibad |
Pakistan: Ishratul Ibad takes office as governor of Sindh.
30
China: Dai Xianglong is appointed acting mayor of Tianjin.
India: Surjit Singh Barnala is appointed governor of Andhra Pradesh and Sudarshan Agarwal is appointed to succeed Barnala as governor of Uttaranchal.
Indonesia: Alzier Dianis Thabrani is elected governor of Lampung, defeating incumbent Oemarsono.
Pakistan: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali wins a vote of confidence, receiving 188 votes in the 342-seat National Assembly.