October 2004

1

Ireland: President Mary McAleese is appointed to a second term as no other candidate qualifies for the presidential election which would have taken place on October 22.

Raschi

San Marino: Giuseppe Arzilli (Christian Democrat) and Roberto Raschi (Socialist) take office as captains-regent.

3

Khashba

Georgia: In presidential elections in Abkhazia, preliminary results give Prime Minister Raul Khadjimba 52.8% of the votes against 33.6% for former prime minister Sergey Bagapsh, 9.9% for former foreign minister Sergey Shamba, 2.7% for Yakub Lakoba, and 0.9% for former prime minister Anri Djergenia. However, the Abkhaz Central Election Commission later renounces these results. On October 6 President Vladislav Ardzinba relieves Khadjimba of his duties and appoints Nodar Khashba as prime minister. A revote in one disputed region is scheduled for October 17. On October 11, however, the Election Commission declares Bagapsh the winner with 50.1% of the vote. The Supreme Court upholds the decision on October 28, ruling that Bagapsh won with 50.3% against about 35% for Khadjimba, but in the early hours of October 29, after supporters of Khadjimba had stormed the court building, reverses its decision and calls for new elections to be held within two months. Although the presiding judge later says the last decision was made under pressure, President Ardzinba signs a decree to hold new elections.
Mexico: José Reyes Baeza is sworn in as governor of Chihuahua.
Slovenia: In parliamentary elections, the Slovenian Democratic Party wins 29.1% of the vote (29 of 90 seats), Prime Minister Anton Rop's Liberal Democracy 22.8% (23), the United List of Social-Democrats 10.2% (10), New Slovenia-Christian People's Party 9.1% (9), the Slovene People's Party 6.8% (7), the Slovenian National Party 6.3% (6), and the Democratic Party of Slovenian Pensioners 4% (4). Turnout is 60.6%.

4

India: Former chief minister of Orissa (1977-80) Nilamani Routray dies.
Syria: Ghazi Kanaan is named interior minister in a cabinet reshuffle.
Zambia: President Levy Mwanawasa sacks Vice President Nevers Mumba and appoints Lupando Mwape as vice president.

5

Alkhanov

Russia: Alu Alkhanov is sworn in as president of Chechnya.

6

Norodom Sihamoni

Cambodia: King Norodom Sihanouk abdicates (though there is no provision for this in the constitution), leaving the president of the Senate, Samdech Chea Sim, as acting head of state. On October 14 the Council of the Throne chooses Prince Norodom Sihamoni as new king.
Guinea-Bissau: Former interim president (2003) Gen. Veríssimo Correia Seabra is killed in a mutiny.
Mexico: Former governor of México state (1987-89) Mario Ramón Beteta Monsalve dies.
Thailand: In a cabinet reshuffle, Gen. Samphan Boonyanan replaces Gen. Chetta Thanajaro as defense minister.

7

India: In elections in Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian National Congress wins 34 of 60 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party 9, the Nationalist Congress Party 2, the Arunachal Congress 2, and independents 13. Turnout is 70.1%.

8

Germany: Former first secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Magdeburg (1952-79) Alois Pisnik dies.
International Criminal Police Organization: Jackie Selebi of South Africa is elected president.

Einaudi

Organization of American States: Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría resigns as secretary-general effective October 15, when the assistant secretary-general, Luigi R. Einaudi, becomes acting secretary-general.

9

Afghanistan: In presidential elections, incumbent Hamid Karzai wins 55.4% of the vote, Yunus Qanuni 16.3%, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq 11.6%, and Abdul Rashid Dostum 10%. Turnout is 70%.
Australia: In parliamentary elections, the governing coalition is confirmed, the Liberal Party winning 74 of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, the National Party 12, and the Country Liberal Party 1, while the opposition Labor Party wins 60 seats and independents 3.
French Polynesia: President Oscar Temaru's government is ousted in a parliamentary motion of censure adopted by 29 votes out of 57. On October 23 former president Gaston Flosse is reelected, also with 29 votes. On October 26 he presents his government, including Georges Puchon as finance minister.

10

Lithuania: In the first round of parliamentary elections, the Labour Party wins 28.6% of the votes (23 of 75 decided seats), Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas' coalition "Working for Lithuania" 20.7% (19), the Homeland Union 14.6% (11), former president Rolandas Paksas' coalition "For Order and Justice" 11.4% (9), the Liberal and Centre Union 9.1% (7), and the Union of Farmers' Party and New Democracy Party 6.6% (5). Turnout is 46.1%. The remaining 66 of the 141 seats are allocated in the second round on October 24. Of those, the Labour Party wins 16, the Homeland Union 14, "Working for Lithuania" 12, the Liberal and Centre Union 11, Union of Farmers' Party and New Democracy Party 5, "For Order and Justice" 2. Turnout is 40.2%.

Ahmed

Somalia: The Transitional National Assembly (sitting in Nairobi, Kenya) elects a new president. In the first round Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the president of the breakaway region of Puntland, wins 80 votes, followed by former finance minister Abdullahi Ahmed Addou with 35 and Mohamed Qanyare Afrah with 33. In the second round Ahmed wins 147 votes, Addou 83, and Afrah 38. In the third Ahmed wins 189 against 79 for Addou. Ahmed is sworn in on October 14.

11

Cameroon: In presidential elections, incumbent Paul Biya is reelected with 70.9% of the votes against 17.4% for John Fru Ndi, 4.5% for Adamou Ndam Njoya, and 3.7% for Garga Haman Adji. Turnout is 82.8%.
Netherlands Antilles: Former prime minister (2003) Ben Komproe dies.
Tuvalu: Maatia Toafa is elected (8-7) and sworn in as prime minister.

13

India: In elections in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party wins 71 of 288 seats, the Indian National Congress 69, the Shiv Sena 62, the Bharatiya Janata Party 54, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) 3, other parties 10, and independents 19. Turnout is 63.4%. On October 19 Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde resigns.
Paraguay: President Nicanor Duarte Frutos dismisses Interior Minister Orlando Fiorotto. Nelson Mora is named interior minister.

Aliyev

Russia: In Dagestan, Prime Minister Khizri Shikhsaidov resigns. Atay Aliyev is named acting prime minister. The parliament confirms him the following day.

14

Sanneh

The Gambia: President Yahya Jammeh dismisses Foreign Minister Baboucarr-Blaise Jagne and appoints Sidi Moro Sanneh as new foreign minister.

15

Moldova: Defense Minister Victor Gaiciuc is sacked. His deputy Tudor Colesniuc takes over as acting minister.
Poland: Prime Minister Marek Belka's cabinet wins a confidence vote (234-218).

16

Australia: In elections in the Australian Capital Territory, the Labor Party wins 46.9% of the vote (10 of 17 seats), the Liberal Party 34.7% (6), the Greens 9.3% (1), and the Australian Democrats 2.3% (0). Turnout is 84.1%.
Indonesia: The new province of Sulawesi Barat is inaugurated with Oentarto Sindung Mawardi as acting governor.

17

Belarus: In parliamentary elections, 107 of 110 deputies are elected, all supporters of the government, with 12 of them representing political parties. Two seats are decided in a second round on October 31.
Papua New Guinea: Former premier of Western province (1977-83) Tatie Olewale dies.
Portugal: In elections in the Azores, the Socialist Party wins 57% of the vote (31 of 52 seats), the Social Democratic Party/Popular Party 36.8% (21), and the Communist Party/Green Ecologist Party 2.8% (0); turnout is 55.7%. In Madeira, the Social Democratic Party wins 53.7% of the vote (44 of 68 seats), the Socialist Party 27.5% (19), the Popular Party 7% (2), the Unitary Democratic Coalition 5.5% (2), and the Left Bloc 3.6% (1); turnout is 60.4%.

19

Soe Win

Myanmar: Gen. Khin Nyunt is replaced as prime minister by Lt.Gen. Soe Win.
Serbia and Montenegro: Former president of the People's Assembly (1967-69) and of the Presidency (1974-82) of Montenegro Veljko Milatovic dies.

Plassnik

20

Austria: Ursula Plassnik is sworn in as foreign minister.
Cyprus: In the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the government of Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat resigns. On October 21 President Rauf Denktas asks Dervis Eroglu to form a new government.

Yudhoyono

Indonesia: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is sworn in as president and Jusuf Kalla as vice president. Juwono Sudarsono is appointed defense minister, Muhammad Ma'aruf home affairs minister, and Jusuf Anwar finance minister, while Hassan Wirajuda remains foreign minister in the new cabinet sworn in on October 21.

Karami

Lebanon: Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri resigns. On October 21 President Émile Lahoud names Omar Karami prime minister. On October 26 Karami announces his government with Mahmoud Hammoud as foreign minister, Abdul Rahim Mrad as defense minister, Suleiman Franjieh as interior minister, and Elias Saba as finance minister.
Norfolk Island: In parliamentary elections, Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert Gardner tops the poll with 17.2% of the votes. Turnout is 91.2%.

21

Sweden: Pär Nuder is named finance minister, replacing Bosse Ringholm.

22

Switzerland: Former president of the Council of State of Vaud (1983, 1989) Jean-François Leuba dies.

23

Nauru: Supporters of President Ludwig Scotty win a majority in parliamentary elections. On October 26 Scotty is elected president unopposed. The next day he names his cabinet; David Adeang is confirmed as foreign and finance minister.
Serbia and Montenegro: In parliamentary elections in Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo wins 45.3% of the vote (49 of 120 seats), the Democratic Party of Kosovo 28.7% (31), the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 8.3% (9), the Hour Party 6.3% (9), the Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 1.8% (2), the Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo 1.4% (2), and the Justice Party 1% (2). Turnout is 51%.

24

Jordan: Hani Mulki is sworn in as foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle.
Mauritius: Jean-Claude Pierre-Louis becomes chief executive of Rodrigues.
Mexico: In Morelos, the Congress votes 20-10 to remove Governor Sergio Alberto Estrada Cajigal Ramírez. He will remain in office pending an appeal.
Tunisia: In presidential elections, incumbent Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Constitutional Democratic Rally) is reelected with 94.5% of the votes against 3.8% for Mohamed Bouchiha (Popular Unity Party), 1% for Mohamed Ali Halouani (Ettajdid Movement), and 0.8% for Mounir Béji (Social Liberal Party). Turnout is 91.5%. In parliamentary elections, the Constitutional Democratic Rally wins 152 of 189 seats, the Movement of Democratic Socialists 14, the Popular Unity Party 11, the Unionist Democratic Union 7, the Ettajdid Movement 3, and the Social Liberal Party 2.

25

India: Madan Lal Khurana resigns as governor of Rajasthan. On October 28 the governor of Uttar Pradesh, Thanjavelu Rajeshwar, is appointed to take additional charge of Rajasthan. Also on October 28 M. Rama Jois resigns as governor of Bihar, effective November 1. On October 29 P.S. Ramamohan Rao resigns as governor of Tamil Nadu, effective November 2, and Om Prakash Verma resigns as governor of Punjab, Haryana governor A.R. Kidwai being named to take additional charge of Punjab. On October 30 Andhra Pradesh governor Surjit Singh Barnala is appointed governor of Tamil Nadu and the outgoing chief minister of Maharashtra, Sushil Kumar Shinde, is appointed to replace him in Andhra Pradesh, while Jharkhand governor Ved Marwah is given the additional charge of Bihar effective November 1.
India: Former foreign minister (1979-80) Shyam Nandan Mishra dies.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: In parliamentary elections, the ruling Labour Party wins 7 of 11 seats, the Concerned Citizens Movement 2, the People's Action Movement 1, and the Nevis Reformation Party 1.

26

Central African Republic: Former foreign minister (1969-70) Nestor Kombot-Naguemon commits suicide.

Compton

Saint Lucia: Petrus Compton replaces Julian Hunte as foreign minister.

28

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Borislav Paravac becomes chairman of the Presidency.
Latvia: The government of Prime Minister Indulis Emsis resigns.

29

Dominica: Former chief minister (1961-67) and premier (1967-74) Edward Oliver LeBlanc dies.

30

Botswana: In parliamentary elections, the Botswana Democratic Party wins 51.7% of the vote (44 of 57 seats), the Botswana National Front 26.1% (12), and the Botswana Congress Party 16.6% (1). Turnout is 77.1%.
China: Jilin governor Hong Hu resigns and Wang Min is appointed acting governor.
Pitcairn Island: Mayor Steve Christian is dismissed.

Pajtic

Serbia and Montenegro: In Vojvodina, Bojan Kostres is elected president of the Assembly and Bojan Pajtic president of the Executive Council.

31

Ukraine: In the first round of presidential elections, former prime minister Viktor Yushchenko wins 39.9% of the vote against 39.3% for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, 5.8% for Oleksandr Moroz, and 5% for Petro Symonenko. A runoff will be held on November 21.
Uruguay: In presidential elections, Tabaré Vázquez of the Broad Front wins 50.7% of the vote, Jorge Larrañaga of the National Party 34.1%, and Guillermo Stirling of the Colorado Party 10.3%. Turnout is 89.6%. Vázquez is to take office March 1, 2005. In parliamentary elections, the Broad Front wins 53 of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies (17 of 31 in the Senate), the National Party 34 (10), the Colorado Party 10 (3), and the Independent Party 2 (0).