Rulers

April 2026

1

Chad: A new cabinet is named, with no change in the foreign, armies, public security, or finance portfolios.
Latvia: Defense Minister Andris Spruds survives a no-confidence motion in parliament (rejected 50-43).
Mexico: President Claudia Sheinbaum nominates Roberto Velasco as foreign minister. He is confirmed by the Senate (81-30) on April 8.

Mina
Selva
San Marino: Alice Mina (Christian Democrat) and Vladimiro Selva (Libera) take office as captains-regent.

2

Brazil: Mailza Assis da Silva takes office as governor of Acre following the resignation of Gladson de Lima Cameli, Ricardo Ferraço as governor of Espírito Santo following the resignation of José Renato Casagrande, Hana Ghassan Tuma as governor of Pará following the resignation of Helder Zahluth Barbalho, and Lucas Ribeiro Novais de Araújo as governor of Paraíba following the resignation of João Azevêdo Lins Filho.
Georgia: The Supreme Council of Ajaria elects Tsotne Ananidze as its chairman (12-0).
New Zealand: In a cabinet reshuffle (effective April 7), Chris Penk is appointed defence minister.
United States: President Donald Trump dismisses Attorney General Pam Bondi. Her deputy Todd Blanche becomes acting attorney general.

3

Congo (Kinshasa): The government adopts a 119th extension of the state of siege in Ituri and Nord-Kivu, followed by a 120th on April 15 and 121st on April 24 (for 15 days beginning May 17).
Myanmar: Parliament elects Min Aung Hlaing as president. He wins 429 votes, against 126 for Nyo Saw and 29 for Nan Ni Ni Aye. The last two thus become first and second vice presidents. On April 7 Min names a cabinet (approved by parliament on April 9) including Tin Maung Swe as foreign minister, Gen. Htun Aung as defense minister, and Lt.Gen. Nyunt Win Swe as home affairs minister; Kan Zaw remains finance minister. The president and vice presidents are sworn in on April 10. The post of prime minister is abolished at the same time.

4

Brazil: Roberto Maia Cidade Filho takes office as governor of Amazonas on the resignation of Wilson Miranda Lima.
Kosovo: President Vjosa Osmani's term ends and the speaker of parliament, Albulena Haxhiu, becomes acting president. On April 27 and 28 parliament fails to elect a president due to lack of quorum, which means that new parliamentary elections will have to take place within 45 days (subsequently set for June 7).
Mongolia: The new cabinet of Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral is appointed with Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan as interior minister and Zagdjav Mendsaikhan as finance minister; Batmunkh Battsetseg remains foreign minister and Damba Batlut defense minister. The government is sworn in the same day.

5

Japan: In gubernatorial elections in Kyoto, incumbent Takatoshi Nishiwaki wins 55.5% of the vote, Satoshi Hamada 24.5%, and Nobuo Fujii 20.1%. Turnout is 37.4%.

6

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Former international high representative (2006-07) Christian Schwarz-Schilling dies.
Thailand: The new government is sworn in (see March 19).

7

Austria: Daniel Fellner is elected Landeshauptmann of Kärnten (22 of 34 votes). He is sworn in on April 8.
Vietnam: Parliament elects To Lam as president (495-0) and Le Minh Hung as prime minister (495-0). On April 8 Ngo Van Tuan is approved as finance minister.

8

Canada: Former lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan (2012-18) Vaughn Schofield dies.
Marshall Islands: Former president (2020-24) David Kabua dies.
Paraguay: President Santiago Peña appoints Óscar Lovera as finance minister.
Russia: Sherig-ool Oorzhak, former prime minister (1990-92), president (1992-2002), and chairman of the government (2002-07) of Tuva, dies.

9

India: Results of state elections: Iran: Former foreign minister (1997-2005) Kamal Kharrazi dies from injuries sustained in an Israeli-U.S. airstrike of April 1.
Pakistan: Former governor of Punjab (1999) Sardar Zulfikar Khan Khosa dies.
Papua New Guinea: Defense Minister Billy Joseph steps aside, with Prime Minister James Marape acting for him.

10

Djibouti: In presidential elections, incumbent Ismail Omar Guelleh (People's Rally for Progress) wins 97.0% of the vote. Turnout is 88.6%.
Mexico: Former governor of Tabasco (1992-94) Manuel Gurría Ordóñez dies.

11

Iraq: Parliament votes for a president. In the first round, Nizar Amedi wins 208 votes (falling short of the two-thirds needed), Muthanna Amin 17, and Fuad Hussein 16. In the second round, Amedi is elected with 227 votes against 15 for Amin. Amedi takes office on April 12. On April 27 he names Ali al-Zaidi prime minister-designate.
Turkey: Former acting president (1993) Hüsamettin Cindoruk dies.

12

Benin: In presidential elections, Romuald Wadagni wins 94.3% of the vote and Paul Hounkpè 5.7%. Turnout is 63.6%.
Canada: Christine Fréchette is elected leader of Coalition Avenir Québec, thus becoming premier-designate of Quebec. She is sworn in as premier on April 15.
Hungary: In parliamentary elections, Tisza wins 53.2% of the vote (141 of 199 seats), the coalition of Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance and Christian Democratic People's Party 38.6% (52), and Our Homeland Movement 5.6% (6). Turnout is 79.0%. Péter Magyar, to become prime minister in May, on April 20 nominates Anita Orbán as foreign minister, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi as defense minister, and András Kármán as finance minister, and on April 30 Gábor Pósfai as interior minister.
Peru: In the first round of presidential elections, Keiko Fujimori wins 17.2% of the vote, Roberto Sánchez 12.0%, Rafael López Aliaga 11.9%, Jorge Nieto 11.0%, Ricardo Belmont 10.1%, Carlos Álvarez 7.9%, and Alfonso López Chau 7.3%. A runoff will be held on June 7.

13

Faeroe Islands: Parliament elects Beinir Johannesen as prime minister (26 of 33 votes). His cabinet includes Bárdur á Steig Nielsen as foreign minister and Aksel V. Johannesen as finance minister.

14

Greenland: A new government is confirmed by parliament including Múte B. Egede as foreign minister, Maritha Broberg as interior minister, and Aqqaluaq B. Egede as finance minister.
India: The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, resigns and Samrat Choudhary is designated as chief minister (sworn in April 15).
Ireland: The government of Prime Minister Micheál Martin wins a confidence vote (92-78).
Maldives: Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel and Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon resign. In a cabinet reshuffle, Iruthisham Adam is appointed and sworn in as foreign minister. On April 15 Hassan Rasheed is appointed defense minister. On April 29 parliament approves the new cabinet.
Solomon Islands: The High Court, in a ruling in favour of the new opposition grouping, gives Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele the options of resigning or convening parliament within the next three days to face a no-confidence motion. Manele announces that the government will appeal the decision. The Appeal Court, in a decision of April 17 released on April 20, temporarily suspends the High Court decision.

15

Congo (Kinshasa): The provincial assembly of Sankuru elects Jules Lodi Emongo as governor. He receives 15 votes, against 10 for Joseph Lumu Akutu.
Switzerland: Claudio Zali takes office as president of the Council of State of Ticino.
Tonga: Finance Minister Lataifaingata'a Tangimana resigns.

19

Bulgaria: In parliamentary elections, Progressive Bulgaria wins 44.6% of the vote (131 of 240 seats), GERB-SDS 13.4% (39), We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria 12.6% (37), the Movement for Rights and Freedoms 7.1% (21), and Revival 4.3% (12). Turnout is 51.1%.
Congo (Brazzaville): The government of Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso resigns. On April 23 Makosso is reappointed as prime minister. On April 24 a new cabinet is named including Constant-Serge Bounda as foreign minister, Raymond Mboulou as defense minister, and Jean Olessongo Ondaye as interior minister; Christian Yoka remains finance minister.
United States: Former governor of Hawaii (1974-86) George R. Ariyoshi dies.

20

Slovenia: Prime Minister Robert Golob announces his failure to form a new government. On April 25 President Natasa Pirc Musar says she will not nominate a prime minister-designate, leaving it to members of parliament who will have 14 days to do so.
United States: The secretary of labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigns and the deputy secretary, Keith E. Sonderling, becomes acting secretary.

21

France: Gilles Simeoni resigns as president of the Executive Council of Corse. Bianca Fazi becomes acting president.
Georgia: Sulkhan Tamazashvili is appointed interior minister. On April 23 Zurab Pataradze is nominated to succeed Tamazashvili as prime minister of Ajaria; the parliament of Ajaria approves him on April 28.
Nigeria: Taiwo Oyedele is appointed finance minister.

22

India: Former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh (1984) N. Bhaskara Rao dies.
Mayotte: Frédéric Poisot is appointed prefect, effective May 18.
Nepal: Home Minister Sudhan Gurung resigns.
Peru: Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela and Defense Minister Carlos Alberto Díaz Dañino resign. Amadeo Javier Flores Carcagno is sworn in as defense minister. On April 23 Carlos Pareja Ríos is sworn in as foreign minister.
Spain: The parliament of Extremadura reelects (40-25) María Guardiola Martín as president of the Junta.

23

India: In state elections in Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam wins 34.9% of the vote (108 of 234 seats), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 24.2% (59), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 21.2% (47), the Indian National Congress 3.4% (5), and the Bharatiya Janata Party 3.0% (1). Turnout is 85.1%.
Italy: Former president of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (1994) Renzo Travanut dies.

24

United States: Former governor of Idaho (1999-2006) and secretary of the interior (2006-09) Dirk Kempthorne dies.

25

Mali: Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Camara is killed in a rebel attack.
Poland: Former foreign minister (1993-95) Andrzej Olechowski dies.

28

Congo (Brazzaville): Former prime minister (1984-89) Ange Édouard Poungui dies.

29

Bahrain: King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa extends the parliamentary term by a year from December 12.
India: In state elections in West Bengal held April 23 and 29, the Bharatiya Janata Party wins 45.8% of the vote (207 of 294 seats), the All India Trinamool Congress 40.8% (80), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) 4.5% (1), and the Indian National Congress 3.0% (2). Turnout is 92.9%.
Lesotho: In a cabinet reshuffle, Limpho Tau is appointed foreign minister and Voeswa Tsheka home affairs minister.
Nigeria: President Bola Tinubu names Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as foreign minister.
South Sudan: President Salva Kiir dismisses Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba and appoints James Pitia Morgan as foreign minister.

30

Antigua and Barbuda: In parliamentary elections, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party wins 60.8% of the vote (15 of 17 seats), the United Progressive Party 37.3% (1), and the Barbuda People's Movement 1.6% (1). Turnout is 62.4%.