Rulers
April 2007
1
Germany: Former minister-president of Baden-Württemberg (1966-78) Hans Filbinger dies.
Nepal: A new government is sworn in, including Sahana Pradhan as foreign minister.
Mancini | 
Rossi |
San Marino: Alessandro Mancini (Party of Socialists and Democrats) and Alessandro Rossi (United Left) take office as captains-regent.
Switzerland: Ernst Hasler becomes Landammann of Aargau.
2
South Korea: The National Assembly approves (210-51) Han Duck Soo as prime minister.
Romania: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu names a new cabinet, including Adrian Cioroianu as foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu as defense minister, Cristian David as interior minister, and Varujan Vosganian as finance minister. It is approved by parliament (302-27) on April 3 and sworn in on April 5.
3
Qatar: Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad ibn Jassim ibn Jabr Al Thani is sworn in as prime minister.
Kara-ool |
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates Sholban Kara-ool as chairman of the government of Tuva. On April 6 Kara-ool is confirmed by the upper (111-4) and lower (21-1) chambers of the local Khural (parliament) and sworn in.
4
Armenia: Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan is appointed prime minister. Col.Gen. Mikael Arutyunyan becomes acting defense minister on April 5 and is appointed defense minister on April 25.
Soro |
Côte d'Ivoire: Guillaume Soro takes office as prime minister. On April 7 a new government is named including Michel Amani N'Guessan as defense minister, Désiré Asségnini Tagro as interior minister, and Charles Koffi Diby as finance minister.
Switzerland: Patrizia Pesenti becomes president of the Council of State of Ticino.
5
Estonia: A new government takes office with Andrus Ansip continuing as prime minister and Urmas Paet as foreign minister, while Jaak Aaviksoo becomes defense minister, Jüri Pihl interior minister, and Ivari Padar finance minister.
Joshi | 
Khanna |
India: The lieutenant governor of Delhi, B.L. Joshi, is appointed as governor of Meghalaya (sworn in April 12). Tejendra Khanna is appointed as lieutenant governor of Delhi (sworn in April 9).
Baisultanov | 
Mujawar |
Russia: Ramzan Kadyrov is sworn in as president of Chechnya. On April 10 the People's Assembly of Chechnya unanimously confirms Odes Baisultanov as new prime minister.
Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh appoints a new cabinet under Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar. Numan Tahir al-Suhaibi becomes finance minister, while Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Defense Minister Brig.Gen. Muhammad Nasir Ahmad Ali, and Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi keep their posts. The new government is sworn in on April 7.
6
India: Former lieutenant governor of Delhi (1990-92) Markandey Singh dies.
7
Russia: Former prime minister of North Ossetia-Alania (2004-05) Alan Boradzov dies.
8
Japan: Takuya Tasso wins gubernatorial elections in Iwate, defeating Junichi Yanagimura and Masanori Murakawa.
9
Guinea-Bissau: Martinho Ndafa Cabi is appointed as prime minister. He takes office April 13. On April 17 a new government is named including Maria da Conceição Nobre Cabral as foreign minister, Marciano Silva Barbeiro as defense minister, Issuf Sanhá as finance minister, and Baciro Dabó as minister of internal administration.
India: Dorjee Khandu is sworn in as chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
Timor-Leste: In presidential elections, Francisco Guterres (Fretilin) wins 27.9% of the vote, José Ramos-Horta (independent) 21.8%, Fernando de Araújo (Democratic Party) 19.2%, Francisco Xavier do Amaral (Timorese Social Democratic Association) 14.4%, and Lucia Lobato (Social Democratic Party) 8.9%. A runoff is to be held May 9.
Turkmenistan: President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov dismisses Interior Minister Akmamet Rakhmanov and appoints Khojamyrat Annagurbanov in his place.
10
Senegal: Prime Minister Macky Sall resigns but is immediately asked to form a new cabinet. He announces that there will be no change in the lineup of the existing cabinet.
Turkmenistan: Former foreign minister (1990-92) Avdy Kuliyev dies.
11
North Korea: Prime Minister Pak Pong Ju is relieved of his post and replaced by Kim Yong Il, the transport minister.
Federated States of Micronesia: Former governor of Yap (1979-87) John Mangefel dies.
12
Argentina: The suspended governor of La Rioja, Ángel Maza, is removed from office.
Comoros: Mohamed Bacar Dossar takes office as cabinet director in charge of defense.
14
Czech Republic: Former prime minister of the Czech Socialist Republic (1987-88) and of Czechoslovakia (1988-89) Ladislav Adamec dies.
Nigeria: In gubernatorial elections, the People's Democratic Party wins in 28 of the 36 states.
Pakistan: Former chief minister of Sindh (1993-96) Syed Abdullah Shah dies.
15
Bhutan: Former acting prime minister (1964) Dasho Lhendup Dorji dies.
16
Canada: Former lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan (1994-2000) J.E.N. Wiebe dies.
Central African Republic: Former foreign minister (2003-05) Charles Wénézoui dies.
17
Kanerva |
Finland: Parliament reelects (121-71) Matti Vanhanen as prime minister. His new government (sworn in April 19) includes Ilkka Kanerva as foreign minister, Jyri Häkämies as defense minister, Anne Holmlund as interior minister, and Jyrki Katainen as finance minister.
18
Eritrea: Osman Saleh is appointed foreign minister.
Nigeria: Former governor of Borno (1999-2003) Mala Kachalla dies.
Somalia: Hussein Elabe Fahiye is named foreign minister.
19
Abdallahi | 
Zeidane | 
M.S. Lemine |
Mauritania: Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi takes office as president. On April 20 he names Zeine Ould Zeidane as prime minister. On April 28 a cabinet is announced including Mohamed Saleck Ould Mohamed Lemine as foreign minister, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed Lemine as defense minister, Yall Zakaria as interior minister, and Abderrahmane Ould Hamma Vezzaz as finance minister.
Romania: Parliament votes (322-108) to suspend President Traian Basescu. On April 20 the Constitutional Court confirms the suspension, and the president of the Senate, Nicolae Vacaroiu, becomes acting president.
20
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates incumbent Aleksandr Tkachev as governor of Krasnodar kray. Tkachev is confirmed by the local legislative assembly (59-1) on April 23.
21
Nigeria: In presidential elections, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (People's Democratic Party) wins about 70% of the vote, Muhammadu Buhari (All Nigeria People's Party) about 19%, and Atiku Abubakar (Action Congress) about 7%. Yar'Adua is to take office May 29.
22
France: In presidential elections, Nicolas Sarkozy (Union for a Popular Movement) wins 31.2% of the vote, Ségolène Royal (Socialist Party) 25.9%, François Bayrou (Union for French Democracy) 18.6%, Jean-Marie Le Pen (National Front) 10.4%, and Olivier Besancenot (Revolutionary Communist League) 4.1%. Turnout is 83.8%. A runoff will be held on May 6.
Israel: Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson suspends himself for three months; Prime Minister Ehud Olmert becomes acting finance minister. On the same day, a Knesset committee approves President Moshe Katsav's request to extend his own suspension by three months.
23
Palestine: Interior Minister Hani al-Qawasmi submits his resignation but it is rejected by Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.
Russia: Former president (1991-99) Boris Yeltsin dies.
Syria: In parliamentary elections held April 22 and 23, the ruling National Progressive Front coalition wins 172 of 250 seats and independents 78. Turnout is 56%.
United States: Zalmay Khalilzad takes office as UN ambassador.
24
Albania: Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj resigns. On April 25 Lulzim Basha is named to the post. He is appointed by parliament on April 30.
25
Indonesia: Eko Maulana Ali is sworn in as governor of Bangka-Belitung.
26
Comoros: The Federal Constitutional Court proclaims the presidency of Anjouan vacant, declaring illegal Mohamed Bacar's remaining in office after his term ended on April 14. On April 28 federal president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi appoints Kaambi Houmadi, president of the local Chamber of Deputies, as interim president of Anjouan. New elections for the islands' presidents are to be held on June 10 and 24.
South Korea: Former prime minister (1979-80) Shin Hyon Hwak dies.
Turkey: Former foreign minister (1971-74) Haluk Bayülken dies.
27
Yang |
China: Parliament approves the nomination of Yang Jiechi as foreign minister.
Nigeria: The Supreme Court orders the reinstatement of Joshua Dariye as governor of Plateau (see March 8).
Turkey: In the first round of presidential voting in parliament, Abdullah Gül wins 357 votes, falling short of the necessary two-thirds majority (367 votes).
28
Canada: Former lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia (1989-94) Lloyd Roseville Crouse dies.
29
Croatia: Former prime minister (2000-03) Ivica Racan dies.
Haiti: Former provisional president (1991-92) Joseph Nérette dies.
Mali: In presidential elections, incumbent Amadou Toumani Touré (independent) wins 71.2% of the vote, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (Rally for Mali) 19.2%, and Tiébilé Dramé (Party for National Rebirth) 3%. Turnout is 36.2%.