June 1998

1

India: Former Orissa governor (1983-88) Bishambhar Nath Pande dies.

4

Peru: Prime Minister Alberto Pandolfi resigns. Javier Valle Riestra is sworn in as new prime minister. The next day Economy and Finance Minister Jorge Camet Dickmann resigns; he is succeeded by Jorge Baca.

6

France: Former president of Île-de-France region (1988-92) Pierre-Charles Krieg dies.

8

Abubakar

Nigeria: Gen. Sani Abacha, the military ruler since 1993, dies. On June 9 Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar is sworn in as new chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council.
Organization of African Unity: Blaise Compaoré, president of Burkina Faso, is elected OAU chairman.

9

Vatican City: Former secretary of state (1979-90) Agostino Cardinal Casaroli dies.

11

Burundi: Pierre Buyoya is formally sworn in as president. On June 12 Frédéric Bamvuginyumvira and Mathias Sinamenye are named as vice-presidents, and in a cabinet reshuffle, Séverin Ntahomvukiye becomes foreign minister. The post of prime minister is abolished.

12

Thabane

Lesotho: The new government is sworn in. Tom Thabane is foreign minister.

13

Beattie

Australia: In Queensland elections, the Labor Party wins 38.9% of primary votes (44 of 89 seats), followed by Pauline Hanson's One Nation party with 22.7% (11 seats), the Liberal Party with 16.1% (9 seats), and the National Party with 15.2% (23 seats); 2 independents are elected. With the support of one independent, Labor is able to form a government. Peter Beattie becomes premier on June 26.
Tonga: Prime Minister Baron Vaea is appointed as acting foreign and defense minister.

14

Russia: Murtaza Rakhimov is reelected president of Bashkortostan, with 73% of the votes, while his only competitor, Rif Kazakulov, gets just over 9%. Turnout is 71%.

15

Pakistan: Former Sindh governor (1970-71) Rakhman Gul dies.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell's New Democratic Party wins 8 of 15 seats (with 45.8% of the vote), and the Unity Labour Party 7 (54.2%). On June 18 a new cabinet is sworn in, including Arnhim Eustace as finance minister.

16

Guatemala: Former member of the Revolutionary Government Junta (1944-45) Jorge Toriello Garrido dies.
Iran: Former prime minister (1960-61, 1978) Jaafar Sharif-Emami dies.

18

Nauru: President Kinza Clodumar is deposed in a no-confidence vote and replaced by Bernard Dowiyogo.
United States: President Bill Clinton nominates Bill Richardson as energy secretary, replacing him as UN ambassador with Richard Holbrooke.

19

Belgium: Jean-Jacques Viseur is sworn in as finance minister, replacing Philippe Maystadt.

20

British Virgin Islands: Former administrator (1962-67) Martin Samuel Staveley dies.
Czech Republic: In parliamentary elections held June 19 and 20, the Social Democrats win 32.3% of the vote (74 of 200 seats), the Civic Democratic Party 27.7% (63 seats), the Communists 11% (24 seats), the Christian Democrats 9% (20 seats), the Freedom Union 8.6% (19 seats), and the Republicans 3.9%.

21

Colombia: In the presidential election runoff, Andrés Pastrana Arango (Conservative Party) wins with about 50.5% of the vote against about 46.5% for Horacio Serpa Uribe (Liberal Party). Turnout is nearly 60%. Pastrana is to be sworn in August 7.
Iran: Parliament dismisses Interior Minister Abdollah Nouri. Mostafa Tajzadeh is appointed acting interior minister.
Switzerland: Former president (1974) Ernst Brugger dies.
Togo: Presidential elections are won by incumbent Gnassingbé Eyadéma of the Rally of the Togolese People with 52.1% of the votes, against 34.1% for Gilchrist Olympio of the Union of Forces for Change and 9.6% for Yawovi Agboyibo of the Action Committee for Renewal. Turnout is 68.9%.

25

United Kingdom: In elections to a new parliament for Northern Ireland, the Ulster Unionist Party wins 28 of the 108 seats (21.3% of the vote), the Social Democratic and Labour Party 24 (22%), the Democratic Unionist Party 20 (18%), and Sinn Féin 18 (17.6%).

Puapua

26

Mali: Former foreign minister (1979-86) Alioune Blondin Beye dies.
Tuvalu: Tomasi Puapua becomes governor-general.

27

India: Former Sikkim governor (1981-84) Homi J.H. Taleyarkhan dies.

Estrada

30

Philippines: Joseph Estrada is sworn in as president. His cabinet includes Edgardo Espiritu as finance secretary and Orlando Mercado as defense secretary.
Venezuela: Finance Minister Freddy Rojas Parra resigns. His successor is Maritza Izaguirre. In another cabinet change, Asdrúbal Aguiar becomes interior minister.