April 2009

Cenci

Mina

1

Abela

Malta: Parliament approves unanimously the nomination of George Abela as president. He is sworn in on April 4.
San Marino: Massimo Cenci (New Socialist Party) and Oscar Mina (Christian Democrat) take office as captains-regent.
Switzerland: Roland Brogli becomes Landammann of Aargau and Gabriele Gendotti president of the Council of State of Ticino.

2

Kazakhstan: Serik Baymaganbetov is appointed interior minister.

Najib

Anifah

Malaysia: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigns. The king endorses Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as prime minister-designate; he is sworn in on April 3. His cabinet, unveiled on April 9 and sworn in on April 10, includes Datuk Anifah Aman as foreign minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as defense minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as home minister, and Dato' Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah as second finance minister (Najib retains the primary finance portfolio).
Pakistan: Former chief minister of Balochistan (1990-93) Mir Taj Mohammad Khan Jamali dies.

4

Slovakia: In the presidential runoff, Ivan Gasparovic wins 55.5% of the vote and Iveta Radicová 44.5%. Turnout is 51.6%.

5

L.L. Rasmussen

Denmark: Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (who the previous day was nominated secretary-general of NATO, to take office August 1) resigns and Finance Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen is appointed prime minister. On April 7 Claus Hjort Frederiksen is appointed finance minister and Karen Ellemann interior minister.
Macedonia: In the presidential runoff, Gjorge Ivanov wins about 63% of the vote and Ljubomir Frckoski about 37%. Turnout is about 43%.
Moldova: In parliamentary elections, the Communist Party wins 49.5% of the vote (60 of 101 seats), the Liberal Party 13.1% (15), the Liberal Democrats 12.4% (15), and the Our Moldova alliance 9.8% (11). Turnout is 59.5%.

6

Belarus: Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumau resigns. Anatoly Kuleshov becomes acting interior minister.
India: The lieutenant governor of Puducherry, Govind Singh Gurjar, dies. On April 8 the governor of Tamil Nadu, Surjit Singh Barnala, is given additional charge as administrator of Puducherry.
Jamaica: Dwight Nelson is appointed minister of national security.
South Africa: Former premier of the Free State (1996-99) Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri dies.
Sri Lanka: Former governor of Central (1988-90) and North Central (1994) provinces Edwin Hurulle dies.

7

Spain: In a cabinet reshuffle, Elena Salgado becomes finance minister. Manuel Chaves González resigns as president of the Junta of Andalucía to enter the national government, and Gaspar Zarrías becomes acting president; José Antonio Griñán is elected as new president (56-53) on April 22 and takes office April 23.
United States: In mayoral elections in Anchorage, Dan Sullivan wins about 43% of the vote, Eric Croft about 19.5%, and Sheila Selkregg about 16.5%. A runoff is to be held on May 5.

9

Algeria: In presidential elections, incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika wins 90.2% of the vote. Turnout is above 74%. As required after a presidential election, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia resigns on April 27 but is immediately reappointed with an almost unchanged cabinet.
Cayman Islands: Duncan Taylor is announced as new governor, to take office in January 2010. The current governor, Stuart Jack, will step down in November 2009.
Czech Republic: Jan Fischer is appointed prime minister of a caretaker government, to be in office until elections in October.
Fiji: The Court of Appeal rules that the government of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is illegal. Bainimarama relinquishes the post; the following day President Ratu Josefa Iloilo repeals the constitution, assumes all governing power, and disbands the court, then on April 11 reappoints Bainimarama as prime minister, who announces his cabinet with no change from the previous one. On April 17 Iloilo appoints Ratu Epeli Nailatikau as vice president, an office that had been vacant since December 2006.
Indonesia: In parliamentary elections, the Democratic Party wins 20.8% of the vote (150 of 560 seats), the Golkar Party 14.4% (107), the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle 14% (95), the Prosperous Justice Party 7.9% (57), the National Mandate Party 6% (43), the United Development Party 5.3% (37), the National Awakening Party 4.9% (27), the Great Indonesia Movement Party 4.5% (26), and the People's Conscience Party 3.8% (18). Turnout is 71%.
North Korea: The Supreme People's Assembly confirms Kim Yong Nam as chairman of its Presidium, Kim Jong Il as chairman of the National Defense Commission, and Kim Yong Il as premier, with a cabinet also unchanged in key positions.
Mali: In a cabinet reshuffle, Sanoussi Touré is appointed as finance minister.
Federated States of Micronesia: Wesley W. Simina is reelected governor of Chuuk, defeating Gillian N. Doone in a runoff.

10

Saint-Martin: The State Council annuls the August 2008 election of Frantz Gumbs as president of the Territorial Council. Daniel Gibbs takes office as acting president on April 14.

11

Brazil: Former acting governor of Pernambuco (1990-91) Carlos Wilson Rocha de Queiroz Campos dies.
Indonesia: Former governor of Kalimantan Tengah (1989-93) Suparmanto dies.
France: Former president of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes (1985-86) René Monory dies.

12

Indonesia: Former governor of Kalimantan Tengah (2000-05) Asmawi Agani dies.
Japan: In gubernatorial elections in Akita, Norihisa Satake (backed by the Liberal-Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party) wins 47.1% of the vote, defeating Hiroshi Kawaguchi (backed by the Democratic Party of Japan and the People's New Party) with 37.9%. Turnout is 67.4%.
Suriname: Former foreign minister (1985-86) Erik Tjon Kie Sim dies.

14

Bajnai

Balázs

Oszkó

Hungary: In a constructive vote of no confidence (204-0), Ferenc Gyurcsány is replaced as prime minister by Gordon Bajnai, who is then sworn in and announces his new government. Among the nominees, appointed by the president on April 16 and sworn in on April 20, are Péter Balázs as foreign minister and Péter Oszkó as finance minister.

15

M'Baré

Mauritania: Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz resigns as chairman of the High Council of State. The president of the Senate, Ba Mamadou dit M'Baré, becomes interim president.

16

Monaco: Former foreign minister (2005-06) Rainier Imperti dies.
Spain: Alberto Núñez Feijóo is elected president of the Xunta of Galicia.
The Sudan: Former member of the Committee of Sovereignty of (1964-65) Abdel Halim Muhammad dies.

17

Brazil: Roseana Macieira Sarney Murad takes office as governor of Maranhão, following the removal of Jackson Kepler Lago by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

18

France: Former president of the Regional Council of Bretagne (1986-98) Yvon Bourges (also governor of Upper Volta 1956-58 and high commissioner of French Equatorial Africa 1958-60) dies.
Madagascar: Noël Rakotonandrasana is named defense minister.
Marshall Islands: President Litokwa Tomeing survives a no-confidence motion in parliament, which is rejected 18-14.

19

Cyprus: In parliamentary elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the National Unity Party wins 44.1% of the vote (26 of 50 seats), the ruling Republican Turkish Party 29.3% (15), and the Democrat Party 10.6% (5). Turnout is 81.4%.

21

Harrison

Anguilla: Alistair Harrison is sworn in as governor.

22

South Africa: In parliamentary elections, the African National Congress wins 65.9% of the vote, the Democratic Alliance 16.7%, and the Congress of the People 7.4%. Turnout is 77.3%.

23

India: In parliamentary elections in Andhra Pradesh held April 16 and 23, the Indian National Congress wins 186 of 294 seats, the Telugu Desam Party 45, and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi 26. In Orissa on the same dates, the Biju Janata Dal wins 61 of 147 seats, the Indian National Congress 37, and the Bharatiya Janata Party 32.
Syria: Said Sammur is named interior minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

25

Iceland: In parliamentary elections, the Social Democratic Alliance wins 29.8% of the vote (20 of 63 seats), the Independence Party 23.7% (16), the Left-Green Movement 21.7% (14), the Progressive Party 14.8% (9), and the Citizens' Movement 7.2% (4). Turnout is 85.1%.
Indonesia: Former governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur (1998-2008) Piet Alexander Tallo dies.
Nigeria: In the partially re-run gubernatorial elections in Ekiti, Olusegun Oni (People's Democratic Party) is elected with 50.9% of the votes, against 49.1% for Kayode Fayemi (Action Congress).

26

Andorra: In parliamentary elections, the Social Democratic Party wins 45% of the vote (14 of 28 seats), the Reformist Coalition 32.3% (11), and Andorra for Change 18.9% (3). Turnout is 75.3%.
Cook Islands: Sir Pupuke Robati, former prime minister (1987-89), dies.
Ecuador: In presidential elections, incumbent Rafael Correa wins 51.7% of the vote, former president Lucio Gutiérrez 28%, and Álvaro Noboa 11.6%.

28

United States: Kathleen Sebelius is confirmed by the Senate (65-31) and sworn in as secretary of health and human services. Upon her resignation as governor of Kansas, Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson becomes governor.

Lacognata

29

Paraguay: Héctor Lacognata is sworn in as foreign minister.

30

India: In parliamentary elections in Sikkim, the Sikkim Democratic Front wins 31 of 32 seats and the Indian National Congress 1.

Ishayev

Shport

Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev appoints Viktor Ishayev as his plenipotentiary in the Dalnevostochny federal district. To replace Ishayev as governor of Khabarovsk kray, Medvedev appoints Vyacheslav Shport as acting governor and nominates him to become full governor.

Ndiaye

Senegal: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré resigns. Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye is appointed as prime minister.
Tonga: Prime Minister Feleti Sevele adds the foreign affairs and defense portfolios to his responsibilities.