August 2016

1

Belize: In a cabinet reshuffle, the national security portfolio is split up, its holder John Saldivar becoming defense minister. Later in the month Godwin Hulse becomes home affairs minister.
Georgia: Levan Izoria is appointed defense minister.

Jóhannesson

Iceland: Gudni Jóhannesson takes office as president.
Togo: In a cabinet reshuffle, Sani Yaya is named finance minister.

2

Ferson

Bermuda: Governor George Fergusson departs. Ginny Ferson becomes acting governor.
Japan: Yuriko Koike takes office as governor of Tokyo.
South Sudan: In a cabinet reshuffle, Michael Tiangjiek Mut becomes interior minister.
Venezuela: Néstor Reverol is named interior minister.

3

Japan: In a cabinet reshuffle, Tomomi Inada is named defense minister.

Mahat

Nepal: Pushpa Kamal Dahal is elected prime minister (363-210). He is sworn in on August 4. Bimalendra Nidhi becomes home minister and Krishna Bahadur Mahara finance minister. On August 26 Prakash Sharan Mahat becomes foreign minister and Bal Krishna Khand defense minister.
Tunisia: President Béji Caïd Essebsi asks Youssef Chahed to form a government. On August 20 Chahed names Lamia Zribi as finance minister, other main portfolios to remain unchanged. The cabinet wins parliamentary approval (168-22) on August 26 and is sworn in August 27.

5

Bartsits

Georgia: The president of Abkhazia, Raul Khadjimba, names Beslan Bartsits as prime minister.
Papua New Guinea: The central government announces its recognition of Philip Undialu as the legitimate governor of Hela province.
Switzerland: Former president (1986) Alphons Egli dies.
Uruguay: Defense Minister Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro dies. Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa takes up the portfolio in the interim; Jorge Menéndez is designated as new defense minister, and takes office August 12.

7

Rupani

India: Vijay Rupani is sworn in as chief minister of Gujarat.
São Tomé and Príncipe: Evaristo Carvalho is elected president as the only candidate after Manuel Pinto da Costa withdrew (August 1) from the runoff. Turnout is 46%; invalid votes amount to 17.8%.

8

Chad: The government of Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacké resigns upon the beginning of Idriss Déby Itno's new presidential term, but Déby reappoints Padacké as prime minister. On August 14 the new government is named including Mbogo Ngabo Seli as finance minister, Bachar Ali Souleymane as territorial administration minister, and Bichara Issa Djadallah as minister-delegate in charge of defense; Moussa Faki remains foreign minister and Ahmat Mahamat Bachir public security minister.
Lebanon: Parliament fails again to elect a president due to lack of a quorum. The next session is set for September 7.
Serbia: Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announces his new cabinet with no change in key positions. It is endorsed by parliament (163-62) and sworn in on August 11.
Zambia: The Constitutional Court orders the cabinet ministers to vacate their posts due to the dissolution of parliament.

9

Dzhioyev

Georgia: Murat Dzhioyev is appointed foreign minister of South Ossetia.
India: Former chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh (2016) Kalikho Pul commits suicide.

10

Argentina: Former federal interventor in Corrientes (1993) Ideler Tonelli dies.

11

Antigua and Barbuda: Sir Ian Turbott, former administrator of Antigua (1958-64) and also administrator (1964-67) and governor (1967-68) of Grenada, dies.
Zambia: In presidential elections, incumbent Edgar Lungu (Patriotic Front) wins 50.3% of the vote and Hakainde Hichilema (United Party for National Development) 47.6%; turnout is 56.5%. In parliamentary elections, the Patriotic Front wins 42% of the vote (80 of 156 seats), the United Party for National Development 41.7% (58), and independents 9.5% (14); turnout is 56%.

13

Italy: Former president of Marche (1978-90) Emidio Massi dies.
United States: In mayoral elections in Honolulu, incumbent Kirk Caldwell wins 44.6% of the vote, Charles Djou 43.7%, and former mayor Peter Carlisle 9.4%. A runoff will be held on November 8.

14

Tanzania: Former president of Zanzibar (1972-84) Sheikh Mwinyi Aboud Jumbe dies.

Sammad

15

South Africa: Former premier of Eastern Cape (1997-2004) Makhenkesi Stofile dies.
Yemen: The Revolutionary Committee hands over authority to a Supreme Political Council, headed by Saleh al-Sammad.

16

Vargas

Khan

Dominican Republic: Danilo Medina begins his new presidential term and swears in Miguel Vargas Maldonado as foreign minister. Lt.Gen. Rubén Darío Paulino Sem becomes defense minister, Carlos Amarante Baret interior minister, and Donald Guerrero finance minister.
Pakistan: Muhammad Masood Khan is elected president of Azad Kashmir, taking 42 votes against 6 for Chaudhry Latif Akbar. He is sworn in on August 25.

17

Purohit

Heptulla

Badnore

Mukhi

India: Banwarilal Purohit is appointed as governor of Assam (sworn in August 22), Najma Heptulla as governor of Manipur (sworn in August 21), V.P. Singh Badnore as governor of Punjab (on August 18 also appointed administrator of Chandigarh; sworn in in both capacities August 22), and Jagdish Mukhi as lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (sworn in August 22).

19

Somalia: Former prime minister (1987-90) Muhammad Ali Samatar dies.

21

Japan: Former governor of Oita (1979-2003) Morihiko Hiramatsu dies.

22

Libya: The Tobruk parliament rejects a vote of confidence in the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj (61-1).
Singapore: Former president (1999-2011) S.R. Nathan dies.

24

Germany: Former first mayor of Hamburg (1988-97) Henning Voscherau dies (night of August 23/24).
Germany: Former foreign minister (1969-74) and president (1974-79) of West Germany Walter Scheel dies.
India: Former governor of Bihar (1979-85, 1993-98), West Bengal (1998-99), Haryana (2004-09), Punjab (2004), and Rajasthan (2007) A.R. Kidwai dies.
Slovenia: Prime Minister Miro Cerar nominates Mateja Vranicar Erman as finance minister.

25

Iraq: Parliament votes to dismiss Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi.

26

Ireland: Former foreign minister (1982-87) Peter Barry dies.

27

Gunner

Australia: In parliamentary elections in the Northern Territory, the Australian Labor Party wins 42.2% of first-preference votes (18 of 25 seats), the Country Liberal Party 31.8% (2), and independents 18.8% (5). Turnout is 74%. On August 31 Michael Gunner is sworn in as chief minister.
Gabon: In presidential elections, incumbent Ali Bongo Ondimba (Gabonese Democratic Party) wins 50.7% of the vote and Jean Ping (Union of Forces for Change) 47.2%. Turnout is about 60%.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates the candidates for the posts of head of the republic in two republics where these will be elected by the local parliaments: for Karachayevo-Cherkessia, Rashid Temrezov (acting incumbent), Ismel Bidzhev, and Viktor Borodkin; for North Ossetia-Alania, Vyacheslav Bitarov (acting incumbent), Yelena Knyazeva, and Gary Kuchiyev.

28

India: Former governor of Bihar (1991-93), Madhya Pradesh (1993-98), and Uttar Pradesh (1996, 1998) Mohammed Shafi Qureshi dies.

29

Chile: Former foreign minister (1983-87) Jaime del Valle Alliende dies.
Estonia: In the first round of the presidential election in parliament, Eiki Nestor wins 40 votes, Mailis Reps 26, and Allar Jõks 25. In the second round, on August 30, Siim Kallas gets 45 votes, Reps 32, and Jõks 21; in the third round, Kallas receives 42 and Reps 26, with 30 blank ballots. No candidate receiving the necessary 68 votes, the decision goes to an electoral college consisting of the members of parliament and of representatives of local government councils, which is to meet on September 24.

30

China: Lou Yangsheng is appointed acting governor of Shanxi.
United States: In mayoral elections in Miami-Dade County, incumbent Carlos Gimenez wins 47.6% of the vote and Raquel Regalado 32%. There will be a runoff in November.

31

Brazil: The Senate votes 61-20 to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office. Acting President Michel Temer now fully replaces her for the rest of her term.
Brazil: Former governor of Paraná (1975-79) Jayme Canet Júnior dies.
Fiji: The resignation of Defense Minister Timoci Lesi Natuva is announced. His duties are assumed temporarily by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
India: Maharashtra governor C. Vidyasagar Rao is given additional charge of Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat governor Om Prakash Kohli of Madhya Pradesh.
Moldova: Vitaly Ignatyev (hitherto acting) is appointed foreign minister of Transnistria.
New Zealand: Sir Jerry Mateparae leaves office as governor-general, Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias to be administrator until the swearing in of Dame Patsy Reddy.
Spain: Parliament votes (180-170) against confirming Mariano Rajoy as prime minister.
Turkey: Interior Minister Efkan Ala resigns. Süleyman Soylu is appointed interior minister.