Rulers

April 2001


Ziguélé

Mézodé

1

Central African Republic: President Ange-Félix Patassé fires Prime Minister Anicet Georges Dologuélé and names Martin Ziguélé as new prime minister. The new cabinet formed on April 5 includes Agba Otikpo Mézodé as foreign minister, Théodore Bikoo as interior minister, and Eric Sorongopé as finance minister.

Lonfernini

Berardi
San Marino: Luigi Lonfernini (Christian Democrat) and Fabio Berardi (Socialist) are installed as captains-regent.
Switzerland: Kurt Wernli becomes Landammann of Aargau.

2


Wernli
Montserrat: In parliamentary elections, the New People's Liberation Movement of former chief minister John Osborne wins 7 of 9 seats in the Legislative Council and the National Progressive Party of former chief minister Reuben Meade 2. Osborne is sworn in as chief minister on April 5. Margaret Dyer-Howe becomes finance minister.

3


Voronin

Tarlev
United States: Francis G. Slay (Democrat) is elected mayor of St. Louis, defeating Mike Chance (Republican) 88%-12%.

4


Cartwright
Moldova: Parliament elects Communist Party leader Vladimir Voronin as president with 71 votes against 15 for Prime Minister Dumitru Braghis and 3 for another communist candidate, Valerian Cristea. Voronin is installed on April 7. On April 11 he nominates Vasile Tarlev to be prime minister. Tarlev is confirmed by parliament on April 19. Vasile Draganel becomes interior minister and Victor Gaiciuc defense minister in the cabinet sworn in on April 20; Finance Minister Mihai Manoli and Foreign Minister Nicolae Cernomaz are retained.
New Zealand: Dame Silvia Cartwright is sworn in as governor-general.

Hasler

Walch
Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh appoints a new cabinet; it includes Abu Bakr al-Qirbi as foreign minister, Abdullah Ali Eleiwa as defense minister, and Rashad al-Alimi as interior minister. It is sworn in on April 7.

5

Liechtenstein: Parliament elects Otmar Hasler head of government; he also becomes finance minister, while Ernst Walch becomes foreign minister and Alois Ospelt interior minister.

Frogier
New Caledonia: Pierre Frogier is elected president of the government. Hervé Chatelain becomes finance minister.

Hunte
Saint Lucia: Julian Hunte is sworn in as foreign minister.

6

India: Former Haryana chief minister (1977-79, 1987-89) Devi Lal dies.

7


Minoves
Andorra: A new government is formed with Juli Minoves Triquell as foreign minister, Mireia Maestre Cortadella as finance minister, and Jordi Visent Guitart as interior minister.

8

Peru: In presidential elections, Alejandro Toledo wins 36.5% of the vote, followed by former president Alan García with 25.8% and Lourdes Flores with 24.3%; in parliamentary elections, Toledo's Perú Posible wins 26.3% against 19.8% for García's American Popular Revolutionary Alliance and 13.9% for Flores' National Unity.
Russia: In elections in Evenkia autonomous okrug, Boris Zolotarev wins 51.8% of the vote against 25.3% for Yevgeny Vasilyev. In a runoff in Amur oblast, Leonid Korotkov wins more than 49% of the vote, defeating Head of the Administration Anatoly Belonogov (42.8%). In Tula oblast, Head of the Administration Vasily Starodubtsev receives 49.1% of the vote; his nearest challenger Andrey Samoshin subsequently withdraws from the race, leaving third-placed Viktor Sokolovsky (who also tries to withdraw, but a district court denies his request) to face Starodubtsev in a runoff.
Taiwan: Former governor (1972-78) Shieh Tung-min dies.

9

Guyana: A new cabinet is named, including Saisnarine Kowlessar as finance minister.

10


Swift
United States: Jane Swift replaces Paul Cellucci as governor of Massachusetts.

11

Brazil: Former governor of Rio Grande do Sul (1975-79, 1990-91) Sinval Sebastião Duarte Guazzelli dies.
Chile: Former foreign minister (1978-80) Hernán Cubillos Sallato dies.

12

China: Former Jilin governor (1977-80) Wang Enmao dies.

13

Czech Republic: Jirí Rusnok is named finance minister, following the resignation of Pavel Mertlík.

Natapei
Vanuatu: Prime Minister Barak Sopé is ousted in a vote of no confidence. Edward Natapei is elected prime minister. Joe Bomal Carlo is appointed finance minister and Jean Alain Mahe foreign minister in the new cabinet.

14

Congo (Kinshasa): President Joseph Kabila announces a new cabinet. Mwenze Kongolo becomes minister of national security, Matungulu Mbuyamu finance minister, and Mira Ndjoku interior minister.

16

Afghanistan: The head of the Supreme Council, Mullah Mohammad Rabbani, dies.

17

India: Former governor of Maharashtra (1977-80) and Tamil Nadu (1980-82) Sadiq Ali dies.

18

Comoros: Former foreign minister (1993) Athoumane Said Ahmed dies.

Aziz
Iraq: Tariq Aziz is appointed acting foreign minister.

19

United States: Former New Hampshire governor (1973-79) Meldrim Thomson, Jr., dies.

20

Samoa: Former prime minister (1982, 1985-88) Va'ai Kolone dies.

22

India: Former Madhya Pradesh governor (1990-93) Kunwar Mahmood Ali Khan dies.
Russia: In a runoff election in Tula oblast, Head of the Administration Vasily Starodubtsev wins more than 71% of the vote against 17% for Viktor Sokolovsky. In Kemerovo oblast, Head of the Administration Aman Tuleyev wins a second term with 93% of the vote.

Nong
Vietnam: Nong Duc Manh becomes secretary-general of the Communist Party.
Yugoslavia: In parliamentary elections in Montenegro, "Victory is Montenegro" which includes President Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists and the Social Democrat Party wins 42% of the vote (36 of 77 seats) against 40.6% (33 seats) for the "Together for Yugoslavia" bloc led by the Socialist People's Party; the Liberal Alliance takes 7.9% (6 seats). Turnout is 81.8%.
Yugoslavia: Fadil Hoxha, president of the Assembly (1945-53, 1967-69) and chairman of the Executive Council (1945-63) of Kosovo, dies.

25

Guinea: Former foreign minister (1999-2000) Zainoul Abidine Sanoussi dies.

26


Koizumi

Tanaka

Nakatani

Shiokawa
Japan: Junichiro Koizumi becomes prime minister, replacing Yoshiro Mori (resigned). Makiko Tanaka becomes foreign minister, Gen Nakatani defense minister, and Masajuro Shiokawa finance minister.
Ukraine: Parliament votes no confidence in Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko (263-69).

27


Ngoubeyou
Cameroon: A new government is formed including François Xavier Ngoubeyou as foreign minister, Laurent Esso as defense minister, Michel Meva'a M'Eboutou as finance minister, and Ferdinand Koungou Edima as interior minister.

29

The Netherlands: Former prime minister (1971-73) Barend Biesheuvel dies.
Senegal: In parliamentary elections, the coalition formed by President Abdoulaye Wade's Senegalese Democratic Party wins 89 seats, against 11 seats for the Alliance of Progressive Forces, 10 for the Socialist Party, and 3 for the Union for Democratic Renewal. Turnout is 67.4%.

30

Macedonia: Defense Minister Ljuben Paunovski offers his resignation.