December 2009

1

India: The governor of Rajasthan, S.K. Singh, dies. On December 2 the governor of Himachal Pradesh, Prabha Rau, is given additional charge of Rajasthan.
United States: Richard J. Berry takes office as mayor of Albuquerque.
United States: In the mayoral runoff in Atlanta, Kasim Reed wins 50.4% of the vote, against 49.6% for Mary Norwood. Reed is to take office Jan. 4, 2010.
Vanuatu: Former French resident commissioner of the New Hebrides (1960-65) Maurice Delauney dies.

2

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Former chairman of the Presidency (2001-02) Jozo Krizanovic dies.
Cayman Islands: Governor Stuart Jack departs. Deputy Governor Donovan Ebanks becomes acting governor.
Switzerland: Doris Leuthard is elected president for 2010 (158 of 183 votes) and Moritz Leuenberger as vice president (128 of 187 votes).

3

Mushikiwabo

Rwanda: Louise Mushikiwabo is named foreign minister and John Rwangombwa finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

4

Keneally

Australia: Kristina Keneally is sworn in as premier of New South Wales.
Belarus: Yury Zhadobin is appointed as defense minister.
Switzerland: Former Landammann of Solothurn (1965, 1969, 1974, 1979) Hans Erzer dies.

5

Vanuatu: The chief justice rules that the decision of the speaker of parliament to strip Prime Minister Edward Natapei of his seat is unconstitutional. On December 10 Natapei survives a no-confidence motion in parliament (11 votes for the motion, 36 against).

6

Bolivia: In presidential elections, incumbent Evo Morales of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) wins 64.2% of the vote, Manfred Reyes of the Progress Plan for Bolivia (PPB) 26.5%, and Samuel Doria of National Unity (UN) 5.7%. Turnout is 94.5%. In parliamentary elections, the MAS wins 88 of 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the PPB 37, the UN 3, and the Social Alliance 2; in the Senate, the MAS wins 26 of 36 seats and the PPB 10.
Comoros: In the first round of parliamentary elections, 3 of the 24 seats are won by candidates of the Presidential Movement. A second round is held on December 20 to allocate the remaining 21 seats, the Presidential Movement and its allies winning 17 (for a total of 20) and the opposition 4. Nine other seats will be allocated by the councils of the three islands.

Baconschi

Romania: In the presidential runoff, incumbent Traian Basescu wins 50.3% of the vote and Mircea Geoana 49.7%. Turnout is 58%. Liviu Negoita steps down as prime minister-designate on December 16. On December 17 Basescu nominates caretaker prime minister Emil Boc to form a new government. On December 20, Boc announces his new proposed cabinet with Teodor Baconschi as foreign minister, Gabriel Oprea as defense minister, Sebastian Vladescu as finance minister, and Vasile Blaga to remain as interior minister. On December 23 the government is approved by parliament (276-135) and sworn in.

7

Indonesia: Marlis Rahman is sworn in as governor of Sumatera Barat.
Moldova: Parliament again fails to elect a president when Marian Lupu wins 53 votes, short of the necessary 61.
Switzerland: François Longchamp becomes president of the Council of State of Genève.
United States: Joshua J. Cohen is sworn in as mayor of Annapolis, Anthony Foxx as mayor of Charlotte, and Dewey Bartlett as mayor of Tulsa.

8

Jones

United Kingdom: The first minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan, resigns. On December 9, the National Assembly for Wales elects (unanimously) Carwyn Jones as first minister; he is sworn in on December 10.

9

Costa Rica: Former president (1978-82) Rodrigo Carazo Odio dies.
Guatemala: Former president (1974-78) Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García dies.

Rifai

Jordan: Prime Minister Nader Dahabi resigns and Samir al-Rifai is appointed as prime minister. The new government is sworn in on December 14, with Mohammad Abu Hammour as finance minister.
Mexico: Ernesto Cordero Arroyo is named to replace Agustín Carstens as finance minister.
Russia: Aleksandr Zhilkin is confirmed as governor of Astrakhan oblast by the local Duma (53-0).

10

Argentina: Ricardo Colombi takes office as governor of Corrientes.

11

Patnaik

India: Janaki Ballabh Patnaik is sworn in as governor of Assam.
India: The governor of Bihar, Devanand Konwar, is given additional charge of West Bengal, effective December 14.
Pakistan: Syed Mehdi Shah is sworn in as chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan.

12

Georgia: In presidential elections in Abkhazia, incumbent Sergey Bagapsh wins 59.4% of the vote and Raul Khadjimba 15.4%. Turnout is 73%.
United States: In the mayoral runoff in Houston, Annise Parker wins 53.6% of the vote and Gene Locke 46.4%. Turnout is 16.6%. Parker will take office Jan. 2, 2010.

13

Chile: In presidential elections, Sebastián Piñera wins 44.1% of the vote, Eduardo Frei 29.6%, Marco Enríquez-Ominami 20.1%, and Jorge Arrate 6.2%. A runoff is to be held Jan. 17, 2010.

14

British Virgin Islands: Boyd McCleary is appointed governor, to take office in July or August 2010.

15

China: Chen Quanguo is appointed acting governor of Hebei.

16

Morocco: Former foreign minister (1969-70) Abdelhadi Boutaleb dies.
Russia: Former acting prime minister (1992) Yegor Gaidar dies.

17

Syria: Former head of state (1963-66) Amin al-Hafez dies.

18

Dominica: In parliamentary elections, the Dominica Labour Party wins 61.2% of the vote (18 of 21 seats) and the United Workers' Party 34.9% (3).
India: In state elections in Jharkhand held on November 27 and December 2, 8, 12, and 18, the Indian National Congress and allied parties win 25 of 81 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party and allies 20, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha 18, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal 5. On December 29, Shibu Soren is invited to form a cabinet; he is sworn in as chief minister on December 30.
Madagascar: President Andry Rajoelina dismisses Prime Minister Eugène Mangalaza and appoints in his place Cécile Manorohanta, who was already acting prime minister from December 3 as Mangalaza was outside the country. On December 20, however, Rajoelina appoints Col. Albert Camille Vital as prime minister.

19

Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai announces the proposed composition of his new cabinet with no change in the key portfolios, although a replacement for Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta is to be named later.

20

Chui

China: Chui Sai On is sworn in as chief executive of Macau.

22

Peru: Finance Minister Luis Carranza resigns. Mercedes Aráoz is sworn in as finance minister.

23

China: Former chairman of the government of Xizang (1964-67, 1981-83) Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme dies.
Cook Islands: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and Finance Minister Sir Terepai Maoate is sacked; Robert Wigmore is appointed deputy prime minister while Prime Minister Jim Marurai takes over the foreign and finance portfolios. Three ministers including Internal Affairs Minister Ngamau Munokoa resign in support of Maoate.

24

Venezuela: Former president (1969-74, 1994-99) Rafael Caldera dies.

25

Cyprus: Former foreign minister of North Cyprus (1983-85) Necati Münir Ertekün dies.
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev nominates Anatoly Brovko as head of the administration of Volgograd oblast and incumbent Oleg Bogomolov as governor of Kurgan oblast. They are confirmed by the local Dumas on December 29 (Brovko 37-1, Bogomolov 30-0). On the latter day Medvedev nominates incumbent Leonid Markelov as president of Mari El republic. The local assembly confirms Markelov on December 31 (44-0).

26

India: The governor of Andhra Pradesh, Narain Dutt Tiwari, resigns. On December 27 the governor of Chhattisgarh, E.S.L. Narasimhan, is given additional charge of Andhra Pradesh.
Madagascar: Former foreign minister (1993-96) and prime minister (2002-07) Jacques Sylla dies.

27

Croatia: In presidential elections, Ivo Josipovic (Social Democratic Party) wins 32.8% of the vote, Milan Bandic (independent) 15%, Andrija Hebrang (Croatian Democratic Union) 12.2%, Nadan Vidosevic (independent) 11.5%, Vesna Pusic (Croatian People's Party-Liberal Democrats) 7.3%, and Dragan Primorac (independent) 6%. Turnout is 44%. A runoff will be held on Jan. 10, 2010.
Uzbekistan: In the first round of parliamentary elections, the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party wins 33 seats, the Uzbekistan National Revival Democratic Party 25, the Uzbekistan People's Democratic Party 22, and the Justice Social Democratic Party 16. Turnout is 87.8%. A second round will be held on Jan. 10, 2010, to allocate the remaining 39 of the 135 popularly elected seats. An additional 15 seats (for a total of 150) are reserved for the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan.

28

Tunisia: Former foreign minister (1964-70) Habib Bourguiba, Jr., dies.

29

Indonesia: Gusnar Ismail is sworn in as governor of Gorontalo to serve the remainder of Fadel Muhammad's term.

30

Indonesia: Former president (1999-2001) Abdurrahman Wahid dies.

31

Tanzania: Former prime minister (1962, 1972-77) Rashidi Kawawa dies.