Rulers
April 2012
1
Cameroon: Former foreign minister (1971-72, 1975-80) Jean Keutcha dies.
Mexico: Former president (1982-88) Miguel de la Madrid dies.
Saint-Martin: Alain Richardson is sworn in as president of the Territorial Council.
Righi |
San Marino: Italo Righi (Christian Democrat) and Maurizio Rattini (New Socialist Party) take office as captains-regent.
Switzerland: Susanne Hochuli becomes Landammann of Aargau.
2
Costa Rica: Finance Minister Fernando Herrero resigns. On April 17 Edgar Ayales is appointed finance minister.
Kövér |
Hungary: President Pál Schmitt resigns. The president of the National Assembly, László Kövér, becomes acting president.
New Zealand: In a cabinet reshuffle (effective April 3), Chris Tremain is named internal affairs minister.
Niger: In a cabinet reshuffle, Gilles Baillet becomes finance minister.
Nigeria: Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari is sworn in as governor of Kebbi.
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev nominates acting incumbent Valery Radayev as governor of Saratov oblast. On April 5 Radayev is confirmed by the local Duma (30-2) and sworn in.
Mbaye | 
Cissé |
Senegal: Macky Sall is sworn in as president. On April 3 he names Abdoul Mbaye as prime minister. The government is named on April 4, with Alioune Badara Cissé as foreign minister, Augustin Tine as defense minister, Mbaye Ndiaye as interior minister, and Amadou Kane as finance minister. Mbaye takes office on April 5.
3
India: Former governor of Karnataka (1977-83) Govind Narain dies.
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev nominates Viktor Nazarov as governor of Omsk oblast. On April 9 the local Duma confirms Nazarov (43-1); he is to take office on May 30.
Switzerland: Marco Borradori becomes president of the Council of State of Ticino.
Switzerland: Former Landammann of Glarus (1982-86) Martin Brunner dies.
United States: In mayoral elections in Milwaukee, incumbent Tom Barrett wins 70.4% of the vote, against 28.9% for Edward McDonald. In Anchorage, incumbent Don Sullivan wins 59.3% and Paul Honeman 38.2%.
4
Kovtun |
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev accepts the resignation of the governor of Murmansk oblast, Dmitry Dmitriyenko, and appoints Marina Kovtun as acting governor. On April 12 Medvedev nominates Kovtun as governor. On April 13 she is confirmed by the local Duma (30-3) and sworn in.
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev nominates Sergey Shoigu as governor of Moscow oblast. On April 5, the local Duma confirms Shoigu (46-0); he is to take office on May 11.
Djukic Dejanovic |
Serbia: President Boris Tadic announces his resignation, which he officially submits on April 5. The parliament speaker, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, then becomes acting president.
Slovakia: Robert Fico is appointed prime minister, followed by his government including Miroslav Lajcák as foreign minister, Martin Glvác as defense minister, Robert Kalinák as interior minister, and Peter Kazimír as finance minister.
5
Chiume |
Malawi: President Bingu wa Mutharika dies. On April 7 the death is officially confirmed and Vice President Joyce Banda takes over as president. On April 11 Khumbo Kachali is appointed as new vice president (sworn in April 13). On April 26 Banda names a cabinet including Ephraim Chiume as foreign minister, Ken Kandodo as defense minister, Uladi Mussa as home affairs minister, and Ken Lipenga remaining as finance minister.
6
Dominican Republic: Former junta chairman (1965) Pedro Bartolomé Benoit dies.
7
Switzerland: Former president of the Council of State of Fribourg (1988) Denis Clerc dies.
8
Tibilov | 
Khugayev |
Georgia: In the presidential runoff in South Ossetia, Leonid Tibilov wins 55.4% of the vote and David Sanakoyev 43.6% (against all, 1%). Turnout is 71.3%. Tibilov is sworn in on April 19. On April 26 he appoints Rostislav Khugayev as acting prime minister.
Mali: The ousted president, Amadou Toumani Touré, officially resigns as part of an ECOWAS-mediated deal by which the speaker of the National Assembly, Dioncounda Traoré, is to become interim president. Traoré is sworn in on April 12. On April 17 Cheick Modibo Diarra is appointed interim prime minister. On April 25 he forms his government, including Sadio Lamine Sow as foreign minister, Col.Maj. Yamoussa Camara as defense minister, Col. Moussa Sinko Coulibaly as territorial administration (interior) minister, and Tiéna Coulibaly as finance minister.
9
Indonesia: In gubernatorial elections in Aceh, Zaini Abdullah wins 55.8% of the vote and Irwandi Yusuf 29.2%.
10
Benin: In a cabinet reshuffle, Jonas Gbian is named finance minister and President Yayi Boni himself takes charge of defense.
Bolot |
French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Pascal Bolot takes office as administrator-superior.
Haiti: The Senate endorses (19-3) the nomination of Laurent Lamothe as prime minister.
North Korea: Vice Marshal Kim Jong Gak is named defense minister.
11
Algeria: Former prime minister (1962-63) and president (1963-65) Ahmed Ben Bella dies.
Kim |
North Korea: Kim Jong Un is elected first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. On April 13 he is also named first chairman of the National Defense Commission.
South Korea: In parliamentary elections, the Saenuri Party wins 152 of 300 seats, the Democratic United Party 127, the Unified Progressive Party 13, and the Liberty Forward Party 5. Turnout is 54.3%.
12
Grant |
Canada: John James Grant is sworn in as lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia.
Guinea-Bissau: Interim President Raimundo Pereira is deposed in a military coup. The leader of the "Military Command" is identified on April 14 as Gen. Mamadu Turé Kuruma. The presidential runoff that was scheduled for April 29 is aborted. On April 19 Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo is named transitional president, but he refuses the nomination on April 20.
Lithuania: Arturas Melianas is appointed as interior minister, effective April 16.
Nigeria: Former administrator of Western Region (1962) M.A. Majekodunmi dies.
13
Cook Islands: Former foreign minister (2010) Robert Wigmore dies.
Sitnikov |
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev accepts the resignation of the governor of Kostroma oblast, Igor Slyunyayev, and appoints Sergey Sitnikov as acting governor. On April 28 Sitnikov is confirmed by the local Duma and sworn in.
16
Njie |
The Gambia: In a cabinet reshuffle, Mambury Njie becomes foreign minister, Lamin Kaba Bajo interior minister, and Abdou Kolley finance minister.
Russia: Former governor of Tver oblast (1995-2003) Vladimir Platov dies.
Timor-Leste: In the presidential runoff, Taur Matan Ruak (independent) wins 61.2% of the vote and Francisco Guterres (Fretilin) 38.8%. Turnout is 73.1%. Ruak is to take office May 20.
World Bank: Jim Yong Kim (U.S.) is named president, to take office July 1.
18
Matata |
Congo (Kinshasa): Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon is appointed prime minister. On April 28 his government is named; he keeps the finance portfolio while Raymond Tshibanda becomes foreign minister, Alexandre Luba Ntambo defense minister, and Richard Muyej interior minister.
Guernsey: In parliamentary elections, 45 nonpartisan members are elected. Turnout is 71.4%.
Sweden: Karin Enström is named defense minister.
20
Ostrovsky |
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev accepts the resignation of the governor of Smolensk oblast, Sergey Antufyev, and appoints Aleksey Ostrovsky as acting governor. On April 25 Ostrovsky is nominated as governor. On April 26 he is confirmed by the local Duma and inaugurated.
Tonga: In a cabinet reshuffle, Lisiate 'Akolo is named finance minister, effective May 1.
22
France: In the first round of presidential elections, François Hollande (Socialist Party) wins 28.6% of the vote, incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy (Union for a Popular Movement) 27.2%, Marine Le Pen (National Front) 17.9%, Jean-Luc Mélenchon (Left Front) 11.1%, and François Bayrou (Democrat Movement) 9.1%. Turnout is 79.5%. The runoff will be held May 6.
23
Canada: In parliamentary elections in Alberta, the Progressive Conservative Party wins 44% of the vote (61 of 87 seats), the Wildrose Party 34.3% (17), the Liberal Party 9.9% (5), and the New Democratic Party 9.8% (4).
Ecuador: In a cabinet reshuffle, Miguel Carvajal is named defense minister.
The Netherlands: Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government resigns.
Sweden: Former governor of Gotland (1998-2004) Lillemor Arvidsson dies.
26
Jordan: Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh resigns and King Abdullah II designates Fayez Tarawneh to form a government.
27
Czech Republic: The government of Prime Minister Petr Necas wins a confidence vote in parliament (105-93).
Romania: Prime Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu's government is defeated in a no-confidence vote, which is supported by 235 of the 460 members of parliament. President Traian Basescu designates Victor Ponta as new prime minister.
28
India: B.V. Wanchoo is appointed as governor of Goa, Margaret Alva as governor of Rajasthan, and Aziz Qureshi as governor of Uttarakhand.
Yastrebov | 
Basargin |
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev accepts the resignation of the governor of Yaroslavl oblast, Sergey Vakhrukov, and appoints Sergey Yastrebov as acting governor. Medvedev also accepts the resignation of the governor of Perm kray, Oleg Chirkunov, and appoints Viktor Basargin as acting governor.
29
Libya: Former secretary of the General People's Committee (2003-06) Shukri Ghanem dies.
Switzerland: Carlo Schmid-Sutter is elected Regierender Landammann of Appenzell Innerrhoden.
30
Congo (Kinshasa): The provincial assembly of Bandundu elects Jean Kamisendu Kutuka as governor (48 of 76 votes).
