Rulers
March 2007
1
Kouyaté |
Guinea: Lansana Kouyaté is sworn in as prime minister. A new government is appointed March 28, with Kabèlè Abdoul Camara as foreign minister, Gen. Arafan Camara as defense minister, Ousmane Doré as finance minister, and M'Boh Keïta as interior minister.
Mexico: Emilio González Márquez takes office as governor of Jalisco.
Niger: Albadé Abouba becomes interior minister in a cabinet reshuffle.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates Ramzan Kadyrov as president of Chechnya. On March 2 the local parliament approves (55-1).
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Former governor (1977-79) and governor-general (1979-85) Sir Sydney Gun-Munro dies.
Thailand: Kosit Panpiemras becomes acting finance minister. On March 7 Chalongphob Sussangkarn is appointed as new finance minister.
Uruguay: Interior Minister José Díaz resigns. Daisy Tourné is designated to replace him; she takes office March 8.
2
Khanduri |
India: Parkash Singh Badal is sworn in as chief minister of Punjab. In Uttarakhand, Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri is asked to form a government; he is sworn in as chief minister on March 8.
Italy: Prime Minister Romano Prodi's cabinet wins a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies (342-253).
Lesotho: A new cabinet is sworn in including Mohlabi Tsekoa as foreign minister.
United States: Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey resigns. Pete Geren becomes acting secretary on March 9.
United States: Former interior secretary (1975-77) Thomas S. Kleppe dies.
3
Russia: The president of separatist Chechnya, Doku Umarov, appoints Supyan Abdullayev as vice president.
4
Chad: The composition of the new cabinet of Prime Minister Delwa Kassire Koumakoye is announced, including Mahamat Nour Abdelkerim as defense minister and Ahmat Mahamat Bachir as interior minister.
Estonia: In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip's Reform Party wins 27.8% of the vote (31 of 101 seats), the Centre Party 26.1% (29), the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union 17.9% (19), the Social Democratic Party 10.6% (10), the Greens 7.1% (6), and the People's Union 7.1% (6). Turnout is 61.9%.
Kuwait: Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Muhammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah and his cabinet resign. Sheikh Nasser is immediately asked to form a new cabinet and is formally reappointed on March 6. On March 26 the composition of the new cabinet is announced, with no change in key portfolios, and the cabinet is sworn in.
5
Torode |
Guernsey: Mike Torode is elected chief minister.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates incumbent Viktor Kress as governor of Tomsk oblast. Kress is confirmed by the local Duma on March 10 (34-1 with 1 abstention).
6
Federated States of Micronesia: In parliamentary elections, only nonpartisans are elected. Vice President Redley Killion is defeated.
7
French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Éric Pilloton is appointed administrator-superior.
Honduras: Former foreign minister (1962-63, 1976) Roberto Perdomo Paredes dies.
Saint-Barthélemy/Saint-Martin: Dominique Lacroix is appointed prefect of both territories. He takes office March 21.
South Korea: Prime Minister Han Myung Sook resigns. Finance Minister Kwon O Kyu becomes acting prime minister. On March 9 Han Duck Soo is nominated as new prime minister.
United Kingdom: In parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party wins 30.1% of the vote (36 of 108 seats), Sinn Féin 26.2% (28), the Social Democratic and Labour Party 15.2% (16), the Ulster Unionist Party 14.9% (18), the Alliance Party 5.2% (7), and the Green Party 1.7% (1).
8
Colombia: Óscar Iván Zuluaga takes office as finance minister.
Indonesia: Former governor of Sulawesi Utara (2000-05) Adolf Jouke Sondakh dies.
Nigeria: A court of appeal voids the impeachment (November 2006) of the governor of Plateau, Joshua Dariye, but the state government announces that it will challenge the decision at the Supreme Court.
Niue: Premier Young Vivian survives a no-confidence motion in parliament (7 votes for, 12 against).
10
India: The chief minister of Meghalaya, J. Dringwell Rymbai, resigns. He is replaced by D.D. Lapang, who is sworn in the same day.
11
Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Catamarca, incumbent Eduardo Brizuela del Moral (Radical Civic Union) is reelected with 56.7% of the votes, against 35.9% for Luis Barrionuevo (Justicialist Party).
Mauritania: In presidential elections, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi wins 24.8% of the vote, Ahmed Ould Daddah 20.7%, Zeine Ould Zeidane 15.3%, Messaoud Ould Boulkheir 9.8%, Ibrahima Moctar Sarr 7.9%, and Saleh Ould Mohamedou Ould Hanenna 7.7%; turnout is 70.1%. A runoff is held March 25, Abdallahi winning 52.9% and Daddah 47.1%; turnout is 67.5%. Abdellahi is to be sworn in on April 19. Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar and his cabinet resign on March 31.
12
Albania: Bujar Nishani is named interior minister in a cabinet reshuffle. He is sworn in on March 20.
Argentina: The legislature of La Rioja approves the impeachment of Governor Ángel Maza. He is suspended, but resists in the Government House until March 14, when police takes control of the building and Vice Governor Luis Beder Herrera is installed as acting governor.
14
Iraq: Former foreign minister (1974-83) and prime minister (1991) Saadun Hammadi dies.
Palestine: President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya agree on the lineup of a new cabinet, with Ziad Abu Amr as foreign minister, Hani al-Qawasmi as interior minister, and Salam Fayyad as finance minister. On March 17 the government is approved by the Legislative Council (83-3) and takes office.
Togo: Adji Otèth Ayassor is appointed finance minister. He takes office March 15.
16
Congo (Kinshasa): The following governors take office: Richard Ndambu Wolang (Bandundu), André Kimbuta Yango (Kinshasa), Didier Manara Linga (Maniema), Trésor Kapuku Ngoy (Kasaï Occidental), and Alphonse Ngoyi Kasanji (Kasaï Oriental).
18
Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Entre Ríos, Sergio Urribarri (Justicialist Party, Frente Justicialista para la Victoria faction) is elected with 47% of the votes, against Gustavo Cusinato (Radical Civic Union) with 20% and Julio Solanas (Justicialist Party, Frente para la Victoria y la Justicia Social faction) with 18.6%.
Finland: In parliamentary elections, the Centre Party wins 23.1% of the vote (51 of 200 seats), the National Coalition Party 22.3% (50), the Social Democratic Party 21.4% (45), the Left Alliance 8.8% (17), the Green League 8.5% (15), the Christian Democrats 4.9% (7), the Swedish People's Party 4.5% (9), and the True Finns 4.1% (5). Turnout is 67.8%.
19
Guinea-Bissau: Parliament passes a censure motion against the government of Prime Minister Aristides Gomes. Gomes resigns on March 29.
20
Yatsenyuk |
Ukraine: Parliament again fails to approve Volodymyr Ohryzko as foreign minister. He receives 195 votes; 226 were needed. On March 21 President Viktor Yushchenko nominates a new candidate, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and he is approved with 426 votes.
21
Romania: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu takes over the foreign affairs portfolio temporarily. The appointment of his nominee for the post, Adrian Cioroianu, has been blocked by President Traian Basescu.
22
Bosnia and Herzegovina: In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina a new government headed by Nedzad Brankovic, and including Fadil Jaganjac as interior minister and Vjekoslav Bevanda as finance minister, is approved by parliament and sworn in. The following day, however, this is nullified by International High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling, who reinstates the former government. On March 30 the parliament again elects the government, but this time with Muhidin Alic instead of Jaganjac as interior minister, Schwarz-Schilling having given a green light to the new lineup.
Comoros: In a cabinet reshuffle, Mohamed Ali Soilihi is appointed as finance minister.
24
Australia: In parliamentary elections in New South Wales, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) wins 39% of the vote and 52 of 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly, the Liberal Party 26.9% (22), the National Party 10.1% (13), the Greens 9% (0), and independents 12% (6). In the election for 21 of 42 seats in the Legislative Council, the ALP wins 39.1% of the vote (9 seats, for a total of 19), the Liberal/National coalition 34.2% (8 for 15), the Greens 9.1% (2 for 4), the Christian Democratic Party 4.4% (1 for 2), and the Shooters Party 2.8% (1 for 2).
25
Argentina: Former governor of Santiago del Estero (1993) Fernando Martín Lobo dies.
Armenia: Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan dies. The cabinet resigns on March 26.
China: Donald Tsang is reelected chief executive of Hong Kong, defeating Alan Leong 649-123 in the 795-member election committee.
26
Canada: In parliamentary elections in Quebec, the Quebec Liberal Party wins 33.1% of the vote (48 of 125 seats), the Action Démocratique du Québec 30.8% (41), and the Parti Québécois 28.3% (36). Turnout is 71.3%.
France: Nicolas Sarkozy steps down as interior minister, being replaced by François Baroin.
Guatemala: President Óscar Berger accepts the resignation of Interior Minister Carlos Vielmann. On March 27 Adela Camacho de Torrebiarte is sworn in as interior minister.
Italy: Former foreign minister (1993-94) Beniamino Andreatta dies.
27
Chile: In a cabinet reshuffle, José Goñi Carrasco becomes defense minister, replacing Vivianne Blanlot.
Lithuania: Finance Minister Zigmantas Balcytis resigns.
28
Nobbs |
Norfolk Island: Andre Neville Nobbs becomes chief minister.
29
Belgium: Former minister-president of Wallonia (1982) André Damseaux dies.
Côte d'Ivoire: President Laurent Gbagbo appoints Guillaume Soro as prime minister.
Atambayev |
Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Azim Isabekov resigns and Almazbek Atambayev is appointed acting prime minister. On March 30 the parliament approves (48-3) Atambayev as new prime minister.
Federated States of Micronesia: Former president (1979-87) Tosiwo Nakayama dies.
Nigeria: Former governor of Ondo (1999-2003) Adebayo Adefarati dies.
United States: Zalmay Khalilzad's nomination as UN ambassador is confirmed by the Senate.
31
Benin: In parliamentary elections, President Yayi Boni's Cauri Forces for an Emerging Benin win 35 of 83 seats and the Alliance for a Dynamic Democracy 20.
Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh asks Ali Muhammad Mujawar to form a new government.