Rulers

July 2012

1


Leung
China: Leung Chun-ying takes office as chief executive of Hong Kong.
Kuwait: The emir accepts the resignation of the government. On July 5 he reappoints Sheikh Jabir Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah as prime minister. The cabinet is announced on July 19 with Nayef al-Hajraf as finance minister and no change in other key portfolios.
Mexico: In presidential elections, Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) wins 39.2% of the vote, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) 32.4%, and Josefina Vázquez Mota of the National Action Party (PAN) 26%. Turnout is 63.1%. Winners of gubernatorial elections: Senegal: In parliamentary elections, the United in Hope coalition (supporting President Macky Sall) wins 119 of 150 seats and the Senegalese Democratic Party 12. Turnout is 36.8%.
Switzerland: Sabine Pegoraro becomes president of the government of Basel-Land, Ueli Amstad Landammann of Nidwalden, Franz Enderli Landammann of Obwalden, Walter Stählin Landammann of Schwyz, and Pierre-Yves Maillard president of the Council of State of Vaud.
Tonga: Vaea becomes minister of internal affairs (a new post).
World Bank: Jim Yong Kim takes office as president.

2


Kaludjerovic
Montenegro: Foreign Minister Milan Rocen announces his resignation. Nebojsa Kaludjerovic is subsequently named as new foreign minister. The resignation takes effect July 10 and Kaludjerovic at first becomes acting minister, then is elected minister on July 18.

3


Panariti
Albania: Edmond Panariti takes office as foreign minister and Flamur Noka as interior minister.
France: The new cabinet of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault wins a confidence vote in the National Assembly (302-225).

4


Merabishvili
Georgia: Parliament confirms (102-7) the new cabinet of Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili including Dimitri Shashkin as defense minister and Bacho Akhalaia as interior minister; Grigol Vashadze remains foreign minister and Dimitri Gvindadze finance minister.
Swaziland: Former foreign minister (1970-71) Zonke Amos Khumalo dies.

5

Austria: Former Landeshauptmann of Salzburg (1989-96) Hans Katschthaler dies.
Greece: Yannis Stournaras is sworn in as finance minister.
Thailand: Former foreign minister (1976-80) Upadit Pachariyangkun dies.

6

Congo (Brazzaville): Former foreign minister (1963-68, 1973-75) and prime minister (1996-97) David Charles Ganao dies.

Antonescu
Romania: Parliament votes (256-114) to suspend President Traian Basescu. A referendum on his removal is to be held on July 29. The Constitutional Court confirms the suspension on July 9. Senate president Crin Antonescu becomes acting president on July 10. In the referendum, 88.7% vote for Basescu's removal and 11.3% against, but the turnout (46.2%) is below the required 50%.

7

Brazil: Former governor of Paraíba (1991-94) Ronaldo José da Cunha Lima dies.
Libya: In parliamentary elections, the National Forces Alliance wins 39 of 80 party seats and the Justice and Construction Party 17; the remaining 120 of the 200 members are elected as independents.
Switzerland: Former president (1984) Leon Schlumpf dies.
Timor-Leste: In parliamentary elections, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction wins 36.7% of the vote (30 of 65 seats), Fretilin 29.9% (25), the Democratic Party 10.3% (8), and Frenti-Mudança 3.1% (2). Turnout is 74.8%.

8

Japan: In gubernatorial elections in Kagoshima, incumbent Yuichiro Ito wins 66.3% of the vote and Yoshitaka Mukohara 33.7%. Turnout is about 44%.

9

Cook Islands: Sir Terepai Maoate, former prime minister (1999-2002), dies.
Greece: The government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras wins a confidence vote in parliament (179-121).

10


Massiot
France: Pierrick Massiot is elected president of the Regional Council of Bretagne.
Zambia: Edgar Lungu is sworn in as home affairs minister.

11


Shettar
India: The chief minister of Karnataka, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, resigns. Jagadish Shettar is appointed chief minister (sworn in July 12).
Indonesia: In gubernatorial elections in Jakarta, Joko Widodo wins about 43% of the vote and incumbent Fauzi Bowo about 34%. A runoff is to be held on September 20.
Italy: Vittorio Grilli is named to replace Mario Monti as economy and finance minister.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin accepts the resignation of the governor of Ryazan oblast, Oleg Kovalev, at the same time appointing him as acting governor until the inauguration of an elected governor.

Ahoomey-Z.
Togo: The government of Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo resigns. Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu is named as new prime minister on July 19; he takes office July 23. The new government is named on July 31 including Col. Damehame Yark as security minister, other key portfolios being unchanged.

13

Papua New Guinea: In parliamentary elections held from June 23 to July 13, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's People's National Congress comes out first with at least 27 of the 111 seats, while independents win at least 15 and the Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party at least 11.

14

Chile: Former foreign minister (1990-94) Enrique Silva Cimma dies.
Nigeria: In gubernatorial elections in Edo, incumbent Adams Oshiomhole (Action Congress of Nigeria) wins 75.8% of the vote and Charles Airhiavbere (People's Democratic Party) 22.9%. Turnout is 39.2%.

15

African Union: South African home affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is elected chairperson of the Commission, winning 37 votes in the fourth round of voting (34 needed). In three earlier rounds she outpolled incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon (27-24, 29-22, 33-18) before the latter withdrew.
Congo (Brazzaville): In the first round of parliamentary elections, the ruling Congolese Labour Party wins 57 of the 69 seats decided (out of 136), with another 10 going to its allies.
Guernsey: Former bailiff (1982-92) Sir Charles Frossard dies.

16

Australia: Former acting governor of Western Australia (2000) Geoffrey Kennedy dies.
Gibraltar: Former governor (1982-85) Sir David Williams dies.
Panama: Francisco Álvarez De Soto becomes acting foreign minister as Roberto Henríquez is moved to another post.

17

India: Former chief minister of Manipur (1997-2001) W. Nipamacha Singh dies.
Sweden: Former governor of Kronoberg (1983-88) Britt Mogård dies.

18

France: Former foreign minister (1978-81) Jean François-Poncet dies.
Syria: Defense Minister Gen. Dawoud Rajha is killed in a bomb attack. Gen. Fahad Jassim al-Freij is appointed as new defense minister (sworn in July 19).

19

Azerbaijan: In presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, incumbent Bako Sahakyan wins 66.7% of the vote and Vitaly Balasanyan 32.5%.
India: In presidential elections, Pranab Mukherjee wins 3,094 votes of members of the national and state parliaments, to the value of 713,555, while Purno Agitok Sangma wins 1,484 votes valued 316,195. Mukherjee is sworn in on July 25.

20


Purryag
Mauritius: Parliament elects Rajkeswur Purryag as president. He is sworn in on July 21.
Samoa: Parliament reappoints (unopposed) Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi as head of state.

Jiménez

23

Peru: The government of Prime Minister Óscar Valdés resigns. Juan Jiménez is sworn in as new prime minister. Pedro Cateriano becomes defense minister and Wilfredo Pedraza interior minister.

24


Nishani
Albania: Bujar Nishani takes office as president.
Cayman Islands: Former governor (1971-74) Kenneth Roy Crook dies.
Egypt: President Mohamed Morsy designates Hisham Qandil as prime minister.
Georgia: Akhsar Lavoyev is appointed interior minister of South Ossetia.

Mahama
Ghana: President John Atta Mills dies. Vice President John Dramani Mahama succeeds as president. On July 31 he names Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur as new vice president.
Moldova: Interior Minister Alexei Roibu is dismissed and Dorin Recean appointed in his place.

25

Andorra: Xavier Espot Zamora replaces Marc Vila Amigó as interior minister.
China: Wang Anshun is appointed acting mayor of Beijing.

26

Bulgaria: Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's government survives a no-confidence vote (72 in favour of the motion, 136 against; 121 needed for adoption).
United States: Former energy secretary (1989-93) James D. Watkins dies.

27

Germany: Former minister-president of Rheinland-Pfalz (1988-91) Carl-Ludwig Wagner dies.
Pakistan: Rehman Malik is sworn in as interior minister.

Dacic
Mrkic
Serbia: Parliament votes in (142-72) the new government headed by Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who also keeps the post of interior minister, while Ivan Mrkic is foreign minister, Aleksandar Vucic defense minister, and Mladjan Dinkic finance minister.
Tunisia: Finance Minister Houcine Dimassi resigns. The secretary of state for finance, Slim Besbes, is entrusted with the ministry's affairs.

29

Japan: In gubernatorial elections in Yamaguchi, Shigetaro Yamamoto wins 47.6% of the vote, Tetsunari Iida 35%, and Tsutomu Takamura 10.4%. Turnout is 45.3%.

31

India: In a cabinet reshuffle, Palaniappan Chidambaram is made finance minister, while Sushil Kumar Shinde replaces him as home affairs minister.
Indonesia: Former governor of Sumatera Barat (2000-05) Zainal Bakar dies.
Italy: The president of Sicilia, Raffaele Lombardo, resigns.