Rulers
December 2019
1
Cyprus: In a cabinet reshuffle, Konstantinos Petridis is appointed as finance minister and Nikos Nouris as interior minister. The new ministers are sworn in on December 3.
Iraq: Parliament accepts the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's government.
Malta: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announces his resignation, effective after a new Labour Party leader is selected in January.
2
Gabon: In a cabinet reshuffle, Lambert Noël Matha becomes interior minister and Jean-Marie Ogandaga economy and finance minister.
Roopun |
Mauritius: Parliament elects Pradeep Roopun as president and Eddy Boissézon as vice president. They are sworn in the same day.
United States: The Senate confirms Dan Brouillette as energy secretary (70-15). He had just become acting secretary after Rick Perry concluded his last day in the post on December 1. He is sworn in as secretary on December 4.
United States: Regina Romero is sworn in as mayor of Tucson.
3
Marin |
Finland: Prime Minister Antti Rinne resigns. On December 10 the parliament approves Sanna Marin as prime minister (99-70) and her government takes office with Katri Kulmuni as finance minister, other key ministers remaining in place. On December 17 the government wins a confidence vote (105-80).
International Atomic Energy Agency: Rafael Grossi takes office as director-general.
Elieisar |
Federated States of Micronesia: The Congress confirms several cabinet nominations, including Kandhi A. Elieisar as foreign secretary and Eugene Amor as finance secretary.
United States: In the mayoral runoff in Boise, Lauren McLean wins 65.5% of the vote and incumbent David H. Bieter 34.5%. In the runoff in Des Moines, incumbent Frank Cownie wins 50.6% of the vote and Jack Hatch 49.2%.
4
Congo (Kinshasa): The provincial assembly of Kongo Central votes (24-0) to remove Governor Atou Matubuana Nkuluki.
Sri Lanka: Anuradha Yahampath is appointed and sworn in as governor of Eastern province and Tissa Vitharana as governor of North Central province.
5
Tegeltija | 
Turkovic |
Bosnia and Herzegovina: The House of Representatives confirms Zoran Tegeltija as prime minister (28-8). On December 16, ministers are nominated including Bisera Turkovic as foreign minister, Sifet Podzic as defense minister, Fahrudin Radoncic as security minister, and Vjekoslav Bevanda to remain finance minister. Parliament approves the government (29-8) on December 23.
China: Lin Wu is appointed acting governor of Shanxi.
6
Cafiero |
Argentina: President-elect Alberto Fernández (taking office December 10) unveils his cabinet, including Santiago Cafiero as cabinet chief, Felipe Solá as foreign minister, Agustín Rossi as defense minister, Wado de Pedro as interior minister, and Martín Guzmán as economy minister. New governors take office as follows: on December 9, Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Jorge Capitanich (Chaco), Rodolfo Suárez (Mendoza), Arabela Carreras (Río Negro), Juan Carlos Arcando (Tierra del Fuego); on December 10, María Teresa García (Buenos Aires, acting), Sergio Ziliotto (La Pampa), Ricardo Quintela (La Rioja), Oscar Herrera Ahuad (Misiones), Gustavo Sáenz (Salta); on December 11, Axel Kicillof (Buenos Aires) and Omar Perotti (Santa Fe); on December 17, Gustavo Melella (Tierra del Fuego).
Darroux |
Dominica: In parliamentary elections (turnout 54.4%), the Dominica Labour Party wins 59.0% of the vote (18 of 21 elected seats) and the United Workers' Party 41.0% (3). (With 9 members appointed by the president and 2 ex-officio members, the total is 32 seats.) Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is sworn in for another term on December 7. In the cabinet installed on December 17, he also keeps the finance portfolio, while Kenneth Darroux becomes foreign minister and Rayburn Blackmoore remains national security and home affairs minister.
7
Côte d'Ivoire: Former foreign minister (2012-16) Charles Koffi Diby dies.
8
Cook Islands: High Commissioner Tessa Temata dies.
San Marino: In parliamentary elections, the Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party wins 33.3% of the vote (21 of 60 seats), the Tomorrow in Motion coalition 24.7% (15 [11 for RETE and 4 for Domani Motus Liberi]), Libera 16.5% (10), We for the Republic 13.1% (8), and Future Republic 10.3% (6). Turnout is 55.7%. If no government can be formed within 30 days, a second round will be held opposing only the two leading groups. On December 30, however, a government is agreed on with Luca Beccari as foreign minister, Elena Tonnini as interior minister, and Marco Gatti as finance minister.
9
Belgium: The informateur, Paul Magnette, asks the king to end his task. On December 10 Joachim Coens and Georges-Louis Bouchez are named informateurs.
10
Thörnroos |
Finland: The parliament of the Åland Islands elects Veronica Thörnroos as lantråd (22-2).
Russia: Former mayor of Moscow (1992-2010) Yury Luzhkov dies.
United States: Andy Beshear is sworn in as governor of Kentucky.
United States: Former commerce secretary (1973-75) Frederick B. Dent dies.
11
Israel: Having failed to submit a candidate for the post of prime minister, parliament is automatically dissolved. New elections are scheduled to take place on March 2, 2020.
Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accepts a mandate from the king to try and form a new government.
Switzerland: Simonetta Sommaruga is elected president for 2020 (186 of 200 votes) and Guy Parmelin as vice president (168 of 183 votes).
12
Djerad |
Algeria: In presidential elections, former prime minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune wins 58.1% of the vote, Abdelkader Bengrina 17.4%, former prime minister Ali Benflis 10.5%, Azzedine Mihoubi 7.3%, and Abdelaziz Belaïd 6.7%. Turnout is 39.9%. Tebboune is sworn in on December 19 and names Sabri Boukadoum as interim prime minister and Kamel Beldjoud as interior minister. On December 28 Abdelaziz Djerad is appointed prime minister.
Chile: The lower house rejects an impeachment motion against President Sebastián Piñera (79-73).
Kobzev | 
Goldshteyn |
Russia: Sergey Levchenko resigns as governor of Irkutsk oblast and Aleksandr Levintal as governor of Yevreyskaya autonomous oblast. President Vladimir Putin appoints Igor Kobzev and Rostislav Goldshteyn, respectively, as acting governors.
United Kingdom: In parliamentary elections, the Conservative Party wins 43.6% of the vote (365 of 650 seats), Labour 32.2% (203), the Liberal Democrats 11.6% (11), the Scottish National Party 3.9% (48), the Green Party 2.7% (1), the Brexit Party 2.0% (0), the Democratic Unionist Party 0.8% (8), Sinn Féin 0.6% (7), Plaid Cymru 0.5% (4), the Alliance Party 0.4% (1), and the Social Democratic and Labour Party 0.4% (2). Turnout is 67.3%. On December 13 the queen invites Prime Minister Boris Johnson to form a new government. The cabinet formed on December 16 is mostly unchanged.
14
Italy: The president of Valle d'Aosta, Antonio Fosson, resigns. On December 16 Renzo Testolin becomes acting president.
United States: In the mayoral runoff in Houston, incumbent Sylvester Turner wins 56.0% of the vote and Tony Buzbee 44.0%.
16
Uruguay: President-elect Luis Lacalle Pou names his cabinet including Ernesto Talvi as foreign minister, Javier García as defense minister, Jorge Larrañaga as interior minister, and Azucena Arbeleche as finance minister.
17
Estonia: Parliament votes 44-42 to remove Interior Minister Mart Helme from office, but the motion falls short of the 51 votes required.
South Korea: President Moon Jae In nominates Chung Sye Kyun as prime minister.
Ahmad Nasser |
Kuwait: The new cabinet is named with Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al Muhammad Al Sabah as foreign minister, Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al Ahmad Al Sabah as defense minister, Anas al-Saleh as interior minister, and Mariam al-Aqeel remaining finance minister.
18
United States: The House of Representatives votes two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump: abuse of power (230-197) and obstruction of Congress (229-198).
19
Argentina: Former governor of Jujuy (1987-90) Ricardo De Aparici dies.
Guatemala: Albin Enrique Dubois Ramírez is sworn in as defense minister.
Lebanon: President Michel Aoun designates Hassan Diab as prime minister.
Spain: The president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Quim Torra, is sentenced to an 18-month ban on holding public office. Being open to appeal, the ban does not immediately take effect.
20
Ho |
China: Ho Iat Seng is sworn in as chief executive of Macau.
Germany: The Landtag of Sachsen reelects Michael Kretschmer as minister-president (61-57).
India: In parliamentary elections in Jharkhand held November 30 and December 7, 12, 16, and 20, the Bharatiya Janata Party wins 33.4% of the vote (25 of 81 seats), the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha 18.7% (30), and the Indian National Congress 13.9% (16). Turnout is 65.2%. Chief Minister Raghubar Das resigns on December 23. On December 25 Governor Draupadi Murmu invites Hemant Soren to form a government (sworn in as chief minister December 29).
Montenegro: Former chairman of the Executive Council (1974-78), president of the Presidency (1983-84), and secretary of the Central Committee of the League of Communists (1984-86) Marko Orlandic dies.
21
Marrero |
Cuba: Manuel Marrero is nominated by President Miguel Díaz-Canel and confirmed by the National Assembly as prime minister. The composition of the Council of Ministers is also approved, with no change in key ministries.
22
Croatia: In the first round of presidential elections, former prime minister Zoran Milanovic wins 29.9% of the vote, incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic 27.0%, Miroslav Skoro 24.7%, and Mislav Kolakusic 5.9%. Turnout is 51.2%. The runoff will be held Jan. 5, 2020.
Uzbekistan: In the first round of parliamentary elections, the Liberal Democratic Party wins 43 seats, National Revival 35, the Justice Social Democratic Party 21, the People's Democratic Party 18, and the Ecological Party 11; the remaining 22 of the 150 seats will be decided in a second round in January.
23
Australia: Former premier of Victoria (1982-90) John Cain dies.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Former prime minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2009-11) Mustafa Mujezinovic dies.
26
Iraq: President Barham Salih submits his resignation to parliament, refusing to appoint Asaad al-Eidani as prime minister.
28
Congo (Kinshasa): The provincial assembly of Sankuru votes (19-0) to remove the governor, Joseph Stéphane Mukumadi. On December 30 the assembly appoints the deputy governor, Paul Tchyabilo Nckoto, as acting governor for 30 days.
29
Germany: Former minister-president of Brandenburg (1990-2002) Manfred Stolpe dies.
Guinea-Bissau: In the presidential runoff, Umaro Sissoco Embaló wins 53.5% of the vote and Domingos Simões Pereira 46.5%.
Norway: Former governor of Vest-Agder (1982-98) Oluf Skarpnes dies.
30
Sri Lanka: P.S.M. Charles is sworn in as governor of Northern province.
31
Chad: Former prime minister (2013) Djimrangar Dadnadji dies.