August 2013

1

Sopoaga

Tuvalu: Governor-General Sir Iakoba Taeia Italeli removes Prime Minister Willy Telavi from office and appoints Enele Sopoaga as caretaker prime minister as the government tried to avoid a no-confidence vote. On August 2 the vote happens and the government is defeated (8-4). On August 4 Sopoaga is elected new prime minister (8-5). He is sworn in on August 5 with a cabinet including Taukelina Finikaso as foreign minister, Maatia Toafa as finance minister, and Namoliki Neemia as home affairs minister.
United States: The Senate approves Samantha Power as UN ambassador (87-10). She is sworn in on August 2.

3

Rouhani

Zarif

Iran: Hassan Rouhani takes office as president. On August 4 he is sworn in and nominates Mohammad Javad Zarif as foreign minister, Hossein Dehqan as defense minister, Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli as interior minister, and Ali Tayyebnia as finance minister. On August 15 the parliament confirms 15 of the 18 cabinet nominees, including the key ones.

4

Finland: Former foreign minister (1971-72, 1975) Olavi J. Mattila dies.
Italy: Former foreign minister (2001-02) Renato Ruggiero (also director-general of the World Trade Organization 1995-99) dies.
Kuwait: A new cabinet is named with Sheikh Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah as defense minister, Sheikh Muhammad Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah as interior minister, and Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al Sabah as finance minister.

5

Libya: Abdullah al-Thani is approved by parliament and sworn in as defense minister.
Pakistan: Mohammad Sarwar is sworn in as governor of Punjab.
Uruguay: Former foreign minister (1967-68) Héctor Luisi dies.

6

Taiwan: Defense Minister Andrew Yang (having only taken office August 1) resigns. On August 7 Yen Ming is appointed in his place.

7

Manderson

Cayman Islands: Governor Duncan Taylor departs. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson becomes acting governor.
Czech Republic: The government of Prime Minister Jirí Rusnok is defeated (100-93) in a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies. Rusnok hands in his government's resignation on August 13. On August 20 the Chamber votes its dissolution, new elections to be held in October.

8

Benin: President Yayi Boni dismisses his government. A new one (without a prime minister) is named August 11, including Denis Ali Yérima as defense minister and François Houéssou as interior minister; Nassirou Bako Arifari remains foreign minister and Jonas Gbian finance minister.

9

Denmark: In a cabinet reshuffle, Nicolai Wammen becomes defense minister.
Ecuador: Former head of state (1966) Telmo Vargas dies.
Panama: Former foreign minister (1985-88) Jorge Abadía Arias dies.

10

Czech Republic: Former governor of Vysocina kraj (2000-04) Frantisek Dohnal dies.
United States: Former interior secretary (1983-85) William P. Clark dies.

11

Italy: Former president of Campania (1983-89) Antonio Fantini dies.
Mali: In the presidential runoff, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita wins 77.6% of the vote and Soumaïla Cissé 22.4%. Turnout is 45.8%.

12

Indonesia: Rustam Effendi is appointed acting governor of Bangka-Belitung.

Cartes

Loizaga

Paraguay: President-elect Horacio Cartes announces his cabinet, including Eladio Loizaga as foreign minister, Bernardino Soto as defense minister, Francisco de Vargas as interior minister, and Germán Rojas as finance minister. Cartes takes office August 15.

13

Niger: Hassoumi Massoudou becomes interior minister in a government reshuffle.
Palestine: President Mahmoud Abbas asks Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to form a new government.
Tonga: Former foreign minister (2004-09) Sonatane Tu'a Taumoepeau Tupou dies.

Simuusa

Zambia: President Michael Sata dismisses Foreign Minister Effron Lungu and replaces him with Wylbur Simuusa.

14

Egypt: Vice President Mohamed al-Baradei resigns.
El Salvador: Jaime Miranda is sworn in as foreign minister.
Moldova: Anatol Arapu is appointed and sworn in as finance minister.

15

Yorgancioglu

Nami

Cyprus: The president of North Cyprus, Dervis Eroglu, appoints Özkan Yorgancioglu to form a government. On August 30 his cabinet is announced (to take office September 2) with Özdil Nami as foreign minister and Teberrüken Uluçay as interior minister; Zeren Mungan remains finance minister.
Nepal: Former prime minister (1986-90) Marich Man Singh Shrestha dies.

17

Argentina: Former governor of Jujuy (1976-81) Fernando Vicente Urdapilleta dies.

18

Central African Republic: Michel Djotodia is sworn in as head of state, marking the beginning of an 18-month transition period. In a government reshuffle on August 22, Josué Binoua becomes security minister.
Libya: Interior Minister Muhammad Khalifa al-Sheikh resigns. Sadiq Abdulkarim Abdulrahman is appointed acting interior minister.

19

Afghanistan: Former acting president (1992) Abdul Rahim Hatef dies.
Argentina: Former federal interventor in Misiones (1976) Juan Antonio Beltrametti dies.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin having on April 2 signed a decree permitting the regions to choose how to elect their heads - by the people or by the local parliaments, in the latter case three candidates being nominated by the president from among those proposed by the parties represented in the local parliament (up to three per party) - and the parliaments of Dagestan (April 18) and Ingushetia (May 8) having chosen the second option, Putin nominates the candidates for the heads of these two republics: for Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, Malik Bagliyev, Ummupazil Omarova; for Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Uruskhan Yevloyev, Magomed Tatriyev.

21

French Polynesia: Lionel Beffre is appointed as high commissioner. On August 23 the outgoing high commissioner, Jean-Pierre Laflaquière, leaves office and Gilles Cantal becomes acting high commissioner.

22

South Africa: Senzo Mchunu is sworn in as acting premier of KwaZulu-Natal following the resignation of Zweli Mkhize.

23

Indonesia: Ganjar Pranowo is sworn in as governor of Jawa Tengah.
Morocco: Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch is named acting finance minister.
South Sudan: President Salva Kiir names James Wani Igga vice president.
United States: The mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, resigns, effective August 30, when City Council President Todd Gloria becomes acting mayor.

24

Argentina: Former governor of San Luis (1981-83) Hugo Nicolás Eugenio Di Risio dies.

25

Ahmed

Maldives: Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Abdulla dies. On August 26 Education Minister Asim Ahmed is appointed acting foreign minister.
Switzerland: Former Landammann of Zug (1979-80) Thomas Fraefel dies.

26

Figueiredo

Brazil: Luiz Alberto Figueiredo is named to replace Antônio Patriota as foreign minister; he takes office August 28.
Madagascar: Foreign Minister Pierrot Rajaonarivelo and Finance Minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina resign to become presidential candidates.
United States: Former governor of Ohio (1971-75) John J. Gilligan dies.

27

Togo: The government of Prime Minister Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu resigns.

28

Woidke

Germany: The Landtag of Brandenburg elects Dietmar Woidke as minister-president (59-25).
Switzerland: Former president of the government of Graubünden (1991, 1996) Joachim Caluori dies.

30

India: Former lieutenant governor of Pondicherry (1998-2002) Rajani Rai dies.

31

Trutnev

Russia: President Vladimir Putin dismisses his plenipotentiary in Dalnevostochny federal district, Viktor Ishayev, and appoints Yury Trutnev in his place.
Vatican City: Pope Franciscus appoints Pietro Parolin as secretary of state, effective October 15.