June 2012

1

Switzerland: Philippe Gnaegi becomes president of the Council of State of Neuchâtel, Martin Gehrer president of the government of Sankt Gallen, Monika Knill-Kradolfer president of the government of Thurgau, and Josef Dittli Landammann of Uri.

2

Armenia: Tigran Sarkisyan is reappointed prime minister. The new cabinet is announced on June 4 and 16 with no change in key portfolios.
Central African Republic: Finance Minister Sylvain Ndoutingaï is sacked and replaced by Albert Besse.
Pakistan: Syed Naveed Qamar is appointed defense minister.

3

The Netherlands: Former queen's commissioner of Noord-Holland (1976-92) Roel de Wit dies.
New Zealand: Sir Brian Talboys, former foreign minister (1975-81), dies.

4

Albania: The second round in parliament for the election of a president ends with no candidates being presented. On June 8 the third round fails likewise. On June 11, Interior Minister Bujar Nishani is elected president with 73 votes in the 140-seat parliament (71 were required, as opposed to 84 in the previous rounds). Nishani is to take office July 24. In a cabinet reshuffle on June 23, Flamur Noka is named as new interior minister and Edmond Panariti as foreign minister.
Czech Republic: Zuzana Moravcíková is elected governor of Stredoceský kraj.
Japan: In a cabinet reshuffle, Satoshi Morimoto is named defense minister.
Pakistan: The Supreme Court suspends Interior Minister Rehman Malik's Senate membership. Thus disqualified as minister, he is on June 5 reappointed as adviser on interior affairs.
Malta: Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi wins a confidence vote in parliament (35-34).
Switzerland: Andreas Rickenbacher is elected president of the government of Bern.

5

Nepal: Narayan Kaji Shrestha takes office as foreign minister.
United States: In a gubernatorial recall election in Wisconsin, incumbent Scott Walker (Republican) is confirmed with 53.2% of the vote against Tom Barrett (Democrat) with 46.3%. In mayoral elections in Sacramento, incumbent Kevin Johnson wins 58.7% of the vote, Jonathan Rewers 23.8%, and Leonard Padilla 12.9%. In San Diego, Carl DeMaio wins 31.4% of the vote, Bob Filner 30.5%, Nathan Fletcher 24.1%, and Bonnie Dumanis 13.3%; the runoff will be on November 6.

6

Indonesia: Former governor of Kalimantan Tengah (1994-99) Warsito Rasman dies.

Hijab

Syria: President Bashar al-Assad asks Riyad Hijab to form a government. On June 23 the cabinet is named with no change in key portfolios. It is sworn in on June 26.

7

Lesotho: King Letsie III appoints Tom Thabane as prime minister. He is sworn in on June 8. On June 15 most of the new cabinet is appointed with Thabane as defense minister and Leketekete Victor Ketso as finance minister; on June 25 Mohlabi Tsekoa is reappointed as foreign minister and Joang Molapo is appointed as home affairs minister (all ministers sworn in on date of appointment).

9

Uzbekistan: Former chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Uzbek S.S.R. (1961-71) Rakhmankul Kurbanov dies.

10

France: In the first round of parliamentary elections, the Socialist Party (PS) wins 29.4% of the vote (22 seats), the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) 27.1% (9), the National Front (FN) 13.6% (0), the Left Front 6.9% (0), and Europe Ecology-The Greens (VEC) 5.5% (1). Turnout is 57.2%. Only 36 of the 577 seats are filled in the first round. In the second round on June 17, the PS wins 40.9% of the vote (258 seats), the UMP 38% (185), the FN 3.7% (2), and VEC 3.6% (16). Turnout is 55.4%. The total distribution of seats is: PS 280, UMP 194, diverse left 22, VEC 17, diverse right 15, New Centre 12, Radical Left 12, Left Front 10, Radical Party 6, FN 2. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and his cabinet resign on June 18 but he is immediately reappointed; on June 21 he announces his cabinet with no change in key portfolios.
Kenya: Interior Minister George Saitoti is killed in a plane crash. On June 18 Defense Minister Yusuf Haji is appointed acting interior minister.

11

Nauru: President Sprent Dabwido names a new cabinet including Kieren Keke as foreign minister and Roland Kun as finance minister.

12

Albig

Germany: The Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein elects Torsten Albig as minister-president (37-30).
Somalia: Former acting president (1969) Sheikh Moktar Muhammad Hussein dies.
South Africa: In a cabinet reshuffle, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is appointed defense minister.

13

Brazil: Former governor of Rio Grande do Sul (1979-83) José Augusto Amaral de Souza dies.

14

Mexico: Former governor of Guerrero (1971-75) Israel Nogueda Otero dies.
Zambia: Former foreign minister (2006-07) Mundia Sikatana dies.

16

Paraguay: Rubén Candia Amarilla is sworn in as interior minister following the resignation of Carlos Filizzola.
Russia: In accordance with a new law reintroducing gubernatorial elections, President Vladimir Putin appoints the governor of Belgorod oblast, Yevgeny Savchenko, whose regular term ends this day, as acting governor effective June 17, until the inauguration of the governor who will be elected on October 14.
Saudi Arabia: Interior Minister Crown Prince Nayef dies. On June 18 Prince Ahmad is appointed interior minister.

17

Morsy

Egypt: In the presidential runoff held June 16-17, Mohamed Morsy wins 51.7% of the vote and Ahmed Shafiq 48.3%. Turnout is 51.6%. Morsy is sworn in on June 30. Meanwhile, the cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri resigned on June 25.

Samaras

Avramopoulos

Greece: In parliamentary elections, New Democracy wins 29.7% of the vote (129 of 300 seats), the Coalition of the Radical Left 26.9% (71), the Panhellenic Socialist Movement 12.3% (33), Independent Greeks 7.5% (20), Golden Dawn 6.9% (18), the Democratic Left 6.3% (17), and the Communist Party 4.5% (12). Turnout is 62.5%. On June 20 Antonis Samaras is sworn in as prime minister. His cabinet is named on June 21 including Dimitris Avramopoulos as foreign minister, Panos Panagiotopoulos as defense minister, Evripidis Stylianidis as interior minister, and Vassilis Rapanos as finance minister. The cabinet members are sworn in the same day except for Rapanos who, without having taken office, resigns because of ill health on June 25; on June 26 Yannis Stournaras is appointed in his place.

18

Peru: Former foreign minister (1968-72) and prime minister (1973-75) Edgardo Mercado Jarrín dies.

19

Ashraf

Pakistan: The Supreme Court disqualifies Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani from office, ruling that his contempt-of-court conviction on April 26 meant he ceased to be prime minister from that date. On June 21 President Asif Ali Zardari nominates first Makhdoom Shahabuddin as prime minister but replaces him with Raja Pervez Ashraf after a judge ordered Shahabuddin's arrest. On June 22 Ashraf is elected in parliament (211 votes, against 89 for Sardar Mehtab Abbasi) and sworn in. On June 23 the cabinet portfolios are allocated, with the interior left vacant (Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Warraich being minister of state) and other key portfolios unchanged.
United States: Former governor of Nebraska (1967-71) Norbert T. Tiemann dies.

20

United States: Commerce Secretary John Bryson resigns. Rebecca M. Blank continues as acting secretary.

22

Argentina: Former governor of Chaco (1991-95) Rolando Tauguinas dies.
Nigeria: Defense Minister Bello Mohammed is sacked.

Franco

Fernández

Paraguay: In an impeachment trial, the Senate votes (39-4) to remove President Fernando Lugo. Vice President Federico Franco is sworn in as president. He names Carmelo Caballero as interior minister and José Félix Fernández Estigarribia as foreign minister. The new cabinet, including also María Liz García de Arnold as defense minister, is sworn in on June 25.

Pastor

Dookeran

Serbia: Istvan Pastor is elected president of the Assembly of Vojvodina.
Trinidad and Tobago: In a cabinet reshuffle, Winston Dookeran is named foreign minister, Larry Howai finance minister, and Jack Warner national security minister. Howai, new to the cabinet, is sworn in June 25.

25

Indonesia: Zaini Abdullah is sworn in as governor of Aceh.
Kuwait: The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Jabir Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah resigns.
Malaysia: Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib is appointed lord mayor of Kuala Lumpur, effective July 18.

26

India: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee resigns. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh takes charge of the portfolio.

28

Mongolia: In parliamentary elections, the Democratic Party wins 31 of 76 seats, the Mongolian People's Party 25, and the Justice Coalition 11. Turnout is 65.2%.
Serbia: President Tomislav Nikolic asks Ivica Dacic to form a government.

29

Finland: Carl Haglund is appointed defense minister, to take office July 5.

30

Georgia: Vano Merabishvili is named as new prime minister.
Iceland: In presidential elections, incumbent Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson wins 52.8% of the vote, Thóra Arnórsdóttir 33.2%, and Ari Trausti Gudmundsson 8.6%. Turnout is 69.2%.
Israel: Former foreign minister (1980-86) and prime minister (1983-84, 1986-92) Yitzhak Shamir dies.