Rulers
December 2005
1
Adderley |
The Bahamas: Paul Adderley is sworn in as acting governor-general.
Mexico: Humberto Moreira Valdés takes office as governor of Coahuila.
Russia: Perm kray comes into existence with Oleg Chirkunov as governor.
2
Argentina: The governor of Tierra del Fuego, Jorge Colazo, suspended since October 25, is deposed. Vice Governor Hugo Cóccaro, who was acting for Colazo, becomes governor.
Iraq: Former prime minister (1991-93) Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaydi dies.
Kyrgyzstan: Parliament confirms Medetbek Kerimkulov as first deputy prime minister.
Switzerland: Former president of the Council of State of Vaud (1994) Jacques Martin dies.
3
Japan: Former governor of Kagoshima (1977-89) Kaname Kamada dies.
4
Banny |
Côte d'Ivoire: Presidents Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) and Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) as mediators announce the nomination of Charles Konan Banny as prime minister for a transitional period ending in October 2006. Banny takes office on December 7. On December 28 the new cabinet is named, including Banny as finance minister, Youssouf Bakayoko as foreign minister, René Aphing Kouassi as defense minister, and Joseph Dja Blé as interior minister.
Kazakhstan: In presidential elections, incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev is reelected with 91.2% of the vote against 6.6% for Zharmakhan Tuyakbai. Turnout is 76.8%.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates incumbent Vladimir Torlopov as head of Komi republic. Torlopov is confirmed by the local State Council (27-0) on December 7.
Venezuela: In parliamentary elections, President Hugo Chávez's Fifth Republic Movement wins 114 of 167 seats, with the remaining seats being won by his allies (including For Social Democracy with 15 seats, Fatherland for Everybody with 11, and the Communist Party of Venezuela with 8), as the opposition boycotted the poll. Turnout is about 25%.
5
Canada: Sam Sullivan is sworn in as mayor of Vancouver.
Jersey: Frank Walker is elected chief minister by the States of Jersey, receiving 38 votes against 14 for Stuart Syvret. He takes office December 8.
Unger |
Switzerland: Pierre-François Unger becomes president of the Council of State of Genève.
6
Singapore: Former president (1981-85) C.V. Devan Nair dies.
7
Ecuador: All cabinet ministers resign in preparation for a reshuffle. On December 14 Alfredo Castillo becomes interior minister. On December 29 President Alfredo Palacio accepts the resignation of Economy and Finance Minister Magdalena Barreiro. The next day Diego Borja is appointed to replace her.
Egypt: In parliamentary elections held November 9, 15, 20, 26, and December 1 and 7, the National Democratic Party wins 311 of 432 allocated seats, independents 112 (including 88 affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood), the New Wafd Party 6, the Tagammu Party 2, and the Al-Ghad Party 1; 12 of the 444 elected seats remain unallocated due to irregularities. (With 10 members appointed by the president, the parliament's total size is 454.) Turnout is 26.2%.
Indonesia: Sri Mulyani Indrawati replaces Jusuf Anwar as finance minister.
Tuju |
Kenya: President Mwai Kibaki names a new cabinet including Raphael Tuju as foreign minister; David Mwiraria is reappointed as finance minister. The new cabinet is sworn in on December 9. On December 13 Njenga Karume is appointed to the new post of defense minister; he is sworn in on December 14.
Nepal: In a cabinet reshuffle, Roop Jyoti becomes finance minister and Kamal Thapa home minister.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves' Unity Labour Party wins 55.3% of the vote (12 of 15 elected seats) and the New Democratic Party 44.7% (3). Turnout is 63.7%. On December 8 Louis Straker is sworn in as foreign minister. Gonsalves takes over the national security ministry on December 12.
Switzerland: Parliament elects Moritz Leuenberger (with 159 of 225 votes) as president for 2006 and Micheline Calmy-Rey (167 of 218 votes) as vice president.
United States: Former South Carolina governor (1987-95) Carroll A. Campbell, Jr., dies.
8
Mongolia: The State Great Khural approves Sundui Batbold as minister of justice and home affairs.
9
Nigeria: The governor of Bayelsa, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, is removed from office and Deputy Governor Goodluck Jonathan becomes governor.
10
Argentina: Arturo Colombi takes office as governor of Corrientes.
Congo (Kinshasa): President Joseph Kabila nominates Gérard Gifuza as governor of Bandundu.
11
Chile: In presidential elections, Michelle Bachelet of the Concertación coalition wins 46% of the vote, Sebastián Piñera of National Renewal (RN) 25.4%, Joaquín Lavín of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) 23.2%, and Tomás Hirsch of the Juntos Podemos Más (Together We Can Do More) coalition 5.4%. A runoff between Bachelet and Piñera is to be held Jan. 15, 2006. In elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the Concertación wins 51.8% of the vote (65 of 120 seats), including the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) with 20.8% (20), the Party for Democracy (PPD) with 15.5% (21), the Socialist Party (PSC) with 10% (15), the Radical Social Democratic Party (PRSD) with 3.5% (7), and independents with 2% (2), while the Alliance for Chile coalition wins 38.6% of the vote (54 seats), including the UDI with 22.3% (33), RN with 14.1% (19), and independents with 2.2% (2); Juntos Podemos Más wins 7.4% of the vote (no seats), including the Communist Party with 5.1%, the Humanist Party with 1.6%, and independents with 0.7%. In partial elections to the Senate, the Concertación wins 11 seats (PDC 5, PSC 4, PPD 1, PRSD 1) and the Alliance for Chile 8 (UDI 5, RN 3). Together with the senators elected in 2001, the Concertación will hold 20 of 38 seats in the Senate and the Alliance 17.
Moldova: In parliamentary elections in the breakaway Dniester Republic, the Renovation party and its allies win 29 of 43 seats and the Republic party 13.
13
Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates Aleksandr Berdnikov as head of Altay republic. He is confirmed by the local State Assembly (34-0 with 2 abstentions) on December 22.
14
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Christian Schwarz-Schilling (Germany) is nominated as new international high representative, to take office Jan. 31, 2006.
Kikwete | 
Lowassa |
Tanzania: In presidential elections, Foreign Minister Jakaya Kikwete of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) wins 80.3% of the vote, Ibrahim Lipumba of the Civic United Front (CUF) 11.7%, and Freeman Mbowe of the Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema) 5.9%. Turnout is 72.4%. In parliamentary elections, the CCM wins 206 of 232 constituency seats, the CUF 19, and Chadema 5. (With 75 seats reserved for women, 10 members appointed by the president, 5 members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, the attorney general, and the speaker the total is 324 seats.) Kikwete is sworn in on December 21. On December 29 he names Edward Lowassa as prime minister, who is approved by parliament and sworn in on December 30.
15
Christmas Island/Cocos Islands: Neil Lucas is appointed administrator of the two territories, to take office Jan. 30, 2006.
Iraq: In parliamentary elections, the United Iraqi Alliance wins 41.2% of the votes (128 of 275 seats), the Kurdistan Alliance 21.7% (53), the Iraqi Accord Front 15.1% (44), the Iraqi National List 8% (25), the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 4.1% (11), and the Kurdistan Islamic Union 1.3% (5).
Palestine: Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia resigns as required for ministers running as parliamentary candidates. President Mahmoud Abbas appoints Nabil Shaath acting prime minister. On December 24, however, Qureia says he will not run in the elections and will resume his duties as prime minister.
Turkmenistan: Atamurad Berdiyev is named finance minister.
18
Bolivia: In presidential elections, Evo Morales of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) wins 53.7% of the vote, former president Jorge Quiroga of Democratic and Social Power (Podemos) 28.6%, Samuel Doria Medina of National Unity (UN) 7.8%, and Michiaki Nagatani of the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR) 6.5%. Turnout is 84.5%. Morales is to take office Jan. 22, 2006. In the parliamentary elections, the MAS wins 72 of 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, Podemos 43, UN 8, and the MNR 7. In the Senate, Podemos wins 13 of 27 seats, MAS 12, UN 1, and MNR 1.
19
Indonesia: The governor of Papua, J.P. Solossa, dies. On December 20 Andi Baso Bassaleng is appointed acting governor.
Japan: Former governor of Yamanashi (1967-79) Kunio Tanabe dies.
20
Kyrgyzstan: The cabinet formed in late September (and functioning since then) is ceremonially sworn in.
21
Mexico: Former governor of Campeche (1967-73) Carlos Sansores Pérez dies.
Niue: Anton Ojala is appointed as new high commissioner. He is to take up his position in February.
22
Malaysia: The chief minister of Kedah, Datuk Seri Syed Razak Syed Zain, resigns. On December 28 Datuk Mahdzir Khalid is sworn in as chief minister. He had been acting chief minister from July 17 while Syed Razak was on sick leave.
Uzbekistan: Interior Minister Zokirjon Almatov resigns.
23
Latvia: Defense Minister Einars Repse resigns. Justice Minister Solvita Aboltina becomes acting defense minister.
Kaczynski |
Poland: Lech Kaczynski is sworn in as president.
Men |
Russia: Mikhail Men takes office as governor of Ivanovo oblast.
24
China: Former Shanghai mayor (1981-85) Wang Daohan dies.
Serbia and Montenegro: Former foreign minister of Montenegro (1991-92) Nikola Samardzic dies.
25
India: Former chief minister of Assam (1972-78) Sarat Chandra Sinha dies.
26
Azerbaijan: The president of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arkady Gukasyan, appoints Georgy Petrosyan as foreign minister.
Nicaragua: Former foreign minister (1992-97) Ernesto Leal dies.
28
Bosnia and Herzegovina: The parliament of the Republika Srpska votes the abolition of the defense ministry. Defense Minister Milovan Stankovic's term will end on January 1.
30
Indonesia: Mustafa Abubakar is sworn in as acting governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.