Rulers

February 2004

1

Iraq: Mohsen Abdul Hamid becomes president of the Governing Council.

Schild
Switzerland: Jörg Schild becomes president of the government of Basel-Stadt.
Switzerland: Former president of the government of Basel-Stadt (1975-76, 1983-84, 1990-91) Kurt Jenny dies.

2

Chad: In a cabinet reshuffle, Ahmat Awat Sakine becomes finance minister and Gen. Allafouza Koni defense minister.
Japan: Former governor of Hokkaido (1971-83) Naohiro Dogakinai dies.

Gubin
Russia: The president of Kabardino-Balkariya, Valery Kokov, appoints Gennady Gubin as acting prime minister. On February 3 the parliament approves Gubin as new prime minister.

3


Eidesgaard
Faeroe Islands: Social Democrat Jóannes Eidesgaard becomes prime minister in a coalition with the Union Party and People's Party. Bárdur Nielsen becomes finance minister and Jógvan vid Keldu interior minister.

4

Macedonia: Former foreign minister (1993-96) Stevo Crvenkovski dies.

Stratan

Marsicanin
Moldova: Andrei Stratan is appointed foreign minister.
Serbia and Montenegro: Dragan Marsicanin is elected speaker of the Serbian parliament and consequently becomes acting president of Serbia.

5

Italy: Former president of Calabria (1980-84) Bruno Dominijanni dies.
Latvia: Prime Minister Einars Repse's government resigns. On February 20 Indulis Emsis is designated as prime minister.

7

Australia: In Queensland elections, Premier Peter Beattie's Labor Party wins 47% of the vote (63 of 89 seats), the Liberal Party 18.5% (5), the National Party 17% (15), the Greens 6.8% (0), One Nation 4.9% (1), and independents 5.8% (5). Turnout is 91.4%.

8

Belarus: Former chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Belorussian S.S.R. (1977-85) Ivan Polyakov dies.

Pérez
Venezuela: President Hugo Chávez names Jesús Pérez to replace Roy Chaderton as foreign minister. Pérez is sworn in on February 13.

9

Georgia: President Mikheil Saakashvili nominates Minister of State Zurab Zhvania for the reintroduced post of prime minister. On February 11 Gela Bezhuashvili is nominated as defense minister. Foreign Minister Tedo Japaridze, Interior Minister Giorgi Baramidze, and Finance Minister Zurab Nogaideli keep their posts in the new government, which is approved by parliament on February 17.
Martinique: Yves Dassonville takes office as prefect.
Zimbabwe: Chris Kuruneri replaces Herbert Murerwa as finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

10

South Korea: Lee Hun Jai is appointed finance minister.

11

Czech Republic: Former prime minister of Czechoslovakia (1963-68) Jozef Lenárt dies.

12


Simonet
Belgium: The minister-president of Brussels-Capital, Daniel Ducarme, resigns. He is succeeded by Jacques Simonet, who is sworn in on February 18.

13

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Branko Stevic is nominated for the new post of defense minister, but the government withdraws the nomination on February 17.

Giannitsis
Greece: Nikos Alivizatos is sworn in as caretaker interior minister and Tassos Giannitsis as caretaker foreign minister.
Russia: Former Chechen president (1996-97) Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev dies.

15

Peru: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is named finance minister.

16

Canada: Elections are held in Nunavut. There is no party system. The 19 legislators will meet on March 5 to elect the premier.
Hungary: Tibor Draskovics is sworn in as finance minister.
Pitcairn Island: Former governor (1976-80) Sir Harold Smedley dies.
Serbia and Montenegro: The parliament of Montenegro elects Igor Luksic as finance minister.

17

China: Liaoning governor Bo Xilai resigns. Zhang Wenyue becomes acting governor and, on February 27, governor.
Mexico: Former president (1976-82) José López Portillo dies.

Diogo
Mozambique: Luísa Diogo is named prime minister, retaining her portfolio as finance minister.
Serbia and Montenegro: Former president of the Executive Council of Serbia (1964-67) Dragi Stamenkovic dies.

20

France: Former president of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes (1980-81) Fernand Chaussebourg dies.
Iran: In parliamentary elections, conservatives win 156 of 290 seats, allies of President Mohammad Khatami 40, and independents 30; 58 seats will go to a runoff.
Serbia and Montenegro: Vojislav Kostunica is appointed as Serbian prime minister-designate.

21

Brazil: Former governor of Ceará (1946) Acrísio Moreira da Rocha and former governor of Rio Grande do Norte (1971-75) José Cortez Pereira de Araújo die.
China: The acting mayor of Beijing, Wang Qishan, is officially elected to the post.

Lennon

23


Condé
Australia: Paul Lennon becomes acting premier of Tasmania due to the illness of incumbent Jim Bacon, who is scheduled to resign formally in about a month.
Guinea: Foreign Minister François Lonseny Fall is named prime minister. Mamady Condé is named foreign minister and Kiridi Bangoura interior minister.
India: Kerala Governor Sikander Bakht dies. Karnataka Governor T.N. Chaturvedi is given the additional charge of Kerala on February 24 (sworn in February 25).

Bargalló
Spain: Josep Bargalló Valls takes office as chief councillor of Catalonia.

24


Khristenko
Russia: President Vladimir Putin dismisses Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. Viktor Khristenko is named acting prime minister.

26

India: Former Maharashtra chief minister (1975-77, 1986-88) Shankarrao Chavan dies.

Jordanovski
Macedonia: President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash. Parliament Speaker Ljupco Jordanovski becomes acting president.

28


Tihic
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sulejman Tihic becomes chairman of the Presidency.
Japan: Former civil administrator of Ryukyu (1969-72) Robert A. Fearey dies.

29

Barbados: Sir Harold St. John, former prime minister (1985-86, as Bernard St. John), dies.
Germany: In Hamburg elections, the Christian Democratic Union wins 47.2% of the vote (63 of 121 seats), the Social Democratic Party 30.5% (41), the Greens 12.3% (17), Pro DM/Schill 3.1% (0), and the Free Democratic Party 2.8% (0). Turnout is 68.7%.

Alexandre
Haiti: President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns and leaves the country. Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre is sworn in as provisional president.