September 2003

1

Indonesia: Lalu Serinata is sworn in as governor of Nusa Tenggara Barat.

Chalabi

Zebari

Iraq: Ahmad Chalabi takes office as president of the Governing Council for this month. A cabinet is named (sworn in on September 3) including Hoshyar Zebari as foreign minister, Nuri al-Badran as interior minister, and Kamil Mubdir al-Gailani as finance minister.
Spain: Former foreign minister (1940-42) Ramón Serrano Suñer dies.
Switzerland: Former Landammann of Sankt Gallen (1964-65) Guido Eigenmann dies.

2

Guyana: Former prime minister (1980-84) Ptolemy Reid dies.

Gryshchenko

Ukraine: Kostyantyn Gryshchenko is appointed foreign minister.

3

Pak

North Korea: Kim Jong Il is reelected as chairman of the National Defense Commission and Kim Yong Nam as chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. Pak Pong Ju replaces Hong Song Nam as premier.
South Korea: The National Assembly votes to dismiss Home Affairs Minister Kim Doo Kwan (150-7). Kim resigns on September 17 and Huh Sung Kwan is named to replace him.

4

Batdyev

Kazanokov

Russia: Mustafa Batdyev takes office as president of Karachayevo-Cherkessia. On September 6 Batdyev appoints Ruslan Kazanokov as acting prime minister; he is approved by parliament on September 26.

5

Anefal

Federated States of Micronesia: The Congress approves the nominations of Sebastian Anefal as foreign secretary and Nick L. Andon as finance secretary.
Serbia and Montenegro: Former president of the Executive Council (1957-62) and of the National Assembly (1967-69) of Serbia and foreign minister of Yugoslavia (1972-78) Milos Minic dies.

6

Lesotho: Former regent (1970, 1990, 1996) Queen 'MaMohato dies.
Palestine: Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas resigns. The next day Ahmed Qureia is nominated for the post. He accepts the nomination on September 10.

7

Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Santa Fe, former governor Jorge Obeid (Justicialist Party) wins 43.5% of the vote and Hermes Binner (Socialist Party) 38.4%; 15% vote against all candidates. Turnout is 73%.
Russia: In gubernatorial elections in Novgorod oblast, incumbent Mikhail Prusak is reelected with 78.7% of the votes. In Omsk oblast, incumbent Leonid Polezhayev is reelected with 56%. In Sverdlovsk oblast, incumbent Eduard Rossel gets 42.9%, Anton Bakov 14.4%, Andrey Vikharev 13.7%, Yury Kuznetsov 7.2%, Nyazip Sarvarov 6.3%, Yevgeny Petrov 2.1%, and against all candidates 12.7%. The second round will be held September 21.

9

Australia: Former foreign minister (1973-75) Don Willesee dies.
Tuvalu: Faimalaga Luka is sworn in as governor-general.

Kernan

United States: Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan takes over as acting governor of Indiana as Governor Frank O'Bannon lies in critical condition following a stroke. On September 13 O'Bannon dies and Kernan is sworn in as governor.
United States: Phil Gordon is elected mayor of Phoenix with 72% of the vote.

10

Otari

Syria: President Bashar al-Assad accepts the resignation of Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Mero's cabinet and appoints Muhammad Naji al-Otari as new prime minister. A new cabinet is announced on September 18, including Muhammad al-Hussein as finance minister, other key ministries remaining unchanged.

11

Karlsson

Sweden: Foreign Minister Anna Lindh dies after a stabbing attack the previous day. Jan O. Karlsson is named acting foreign minister.

12

Côte d'Ivoire: René Amani is named defense minister.

Rosa

Honduras: Leónidas Rosa Bautista is named foreign minister.
Indonesia: Rosihan Arsyad's term as governor of Sumatera Selatan ends but is extended for an indefinite time because of ongoing opposition to Syahrial Oesman's election.
Kazakhstan: Zautbek Turisbekov is appointed interior minister, replacing Col.Gen. Kairbek Suleymenov.

13

Greenland: A new governing coalition is formed between the Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit parties. Josef Motzfeldt becomes finance minister.
Mexico: Eduardo Bours Castelo is installed as governor of Sonora.

14

Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Buenos Aires province, incumbent Felipe Solá of the Justicialist Party (PJ) wins 43.2% of the vote, Luis Patti of the Federalist Union Party 11.7%, and Margarita Stolbizer of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) 11.1%. In Chaco, Roy Nikisch (UCR) wins 53.1% and Jorge Capitanich (PJ) 41%. In Jujuy, incumbent Eduardo Fellner (PJ) wins 55.9% and Geraldo Morales (UCR) 35.1%. In Santa Cruz, Sergio Acevedo (PJ) wins 71.7% and Alfredo Martínez (UCR) 27.4%. In the runoff in Buenos Aires city, incumbent Aníbal Ibarra wins 53.5% and Mauricio Macri 46.5%.

Seabra

Guinea-Bissau: President Kumba Ialá is deposed in a military coup. Gen. Veríssimo Correia Seabra declares himself interim president, heading a Military Committee for the Restitution of Constitutional and Democratic Order. On September 23 the committee designates Henrique Rosa as interim president and Artur Sanhá as prime minister. They are sworn in on September 28.

15

Indonesia: Karel Albert Ralahalu is sworn in as governor of Maluku.

16

African Union: Alpha Oumar Konaré takes office as chairman of the Commission.
Mexico: Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez takes office as governor of Campeche.
Switzerland: Finance Minister Kaspar Villiger announces his resignation effective December 31.

18

Papua New Guinea: Parliament elects Sir Albert Kipalan as new governor-general with 46 votes against 45 for Sir Paulias Matane. Kipalan is to take office on November 13.

19

Estonia: Finance Minister Tõnis Palts resigns. Taavi Veskimägi is appointed to succeed him.
Greenland: Former governor (1963-73) Niels Otto Christensen dies.

20

Zimbabwe: Simon Muzenda, vice president since 1987 and former foreign minister (1980-81), dies.

21

Germany: In state elections in Bayern, Minister-President Edmund Stoiber's Christian Social Union wins 60.7% of the vote (124 of 180 seats), the Social Democratic Party 19.6% (41), the Greens 7.7% (15), and the Free Democratic Party 2.6% (0). Turnout is 57.3%.
Russia: In gubernatorial elections in Saint Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko wins 48.7% of the vote and Anna Markova 15.8%; 11% vote against all candidates. Turnout is 29%. A runoff is to be held October 5. In Leningrad oblast, Valery Serdyukov is reelected with 56.9% of the votes; Vadim Gustov gets 25.3% and 7.8% vote against all candidates. Turnout is 29.7%. In Tomsk oblast, Viktor Kress is reelected with 71.3%; Aleksandr Pomorov (Communist) gets 12.5%. Turnout is 42%. In the runoff in Sverdlovsk oblast, Eduard Rossel wins 55.6% and Anton Bakov 29.9%. Turnout is 32%.

22

India: Rajasthan governor Nirmal Chandra Jain dies. Gujarat governor Kailashpati Mishra is given the additional charge of Rajasthan.
Japan: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi names a new cabinet, including Sadakazu Tanigaki as finance minister and Taro Aso as home affairs minister.

23

Nigeria: Former governor of Lagos (1984-86) Gbolahan Mudashiru dies.
Philippines: Eduardo Ermita is named as new defense secretary.

24

Saint Helena: Michael Clancy is appointed as new governor, to take office in October 2004.
Slovakia: Defense Minister Ivan Simko is dismissed. Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan becomes acting defense minister.
United States: Former New Hampshire governor (1953-55) Hugh Gregg dies.

25

The Gambia: Musa Gibril Bala Gaye is appointed finance minister and Sulayman Masanneh Ceesay interior minister. They are sworn in September 29.
Kenya: President Mwai Kibaki names Home Affairs Minister Moody Awori as new vice president.

26

Czech Republic: Prime Minister Vladimír Spidla's government survives a no-confidence vote (100-98).
Honduras: Former foreign minister (1982-86) Edgardo Paz Barnica dies.
Mexico: Marcelo de los Santos Fraga takes office as governor of San Luis Potosí.

27

Switzerland: Former Landammann of Zug (1963-64) Alois Hürlimann dies.

28

Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Misiones, incumbent Carlos Rovira of the Renewal Front wins 48% of the votes against former governor Ramón Puerta of the Justicialist Party (PJ) with 33% and Pablo Andersen of the Radical Civic Union with 13.5%. In Neuquén, incumbent Jorge Sobisch (Neuquén Popular Movement) wins 56% and Aldo Duzdevich (PJ) 20%.
Austria: In state elections in Oberösterreich, the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) wins 43.4% of the vote (25 of 56 seats), the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) 38.3% (22), the Greens 9.1% (5), and the Freedom Party (FPÖ) 8.4% (4). Turnout is 78.6%. In Tirol, the ÖVP wins 49.9% (20 of 36 seats), the SPÖ 25.9% (9), the Greens 15.5% (5), and the FPÖ 8% (2). Turnout is 60.3%.
Saint Lucia: Former foreign minister (1979-81, 1997-2001) George Odlum dies.

29

Canada: In Prince Edward Island elections, Premier Pat Binns' Progressive Conservative Party wins 54% of the vote (23 of 27 seats), the Liberal Party 42.9% (4), and the New Democrats 3.2% (0).
Swaziland: King Mswati III dissolves Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini's government in preparation for a general election, and appoints Paul Shabangu as acting prime minister.
Turkmenistan: Col.Gen. Agageldi Mametgeldiyev is appointed defense minister.

30

Brazil: Former governor of Piauí (1947) Waldir de Figueiredo Gonçalves dies.
Mauritius: Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth steps down, handing over the post to his deputy, Finance Minister Paul Bérenger, who also takes over the defense and interior portfolios from Jugnauth.
The Netherlands: Ben Bot is named to become foreign minister as of December 3. He will succeed Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who has been designated to become NATO secretary-general.
Rwanda: Parliamentary elections held on September 29-30 are won by the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front with 73.8% of the vote (40 of 53 elected seats), followed by the Social Democratic Party with 12.3% (7) and the Liberal Party with 10.6% (6). Turnout is 99.5%.