Rulers
August 2011
1
Nepal: Narayan Kaji Shrestha is sworn in as home affairs minister.
United States: Commerce Secretary Gary Locke resigns and Rebecca M. Blank becomes acting commerce secretary.
2
Haiti: The Senate rejects (16-0) the nomination of Bernard Gousse as prime minister.
O'Neill |
Papua New Guinea: Parliament declares the prime minister's office vacant due to the ongoing absence of Sir Michael Somare and elects Peter O'Neill as new prime minister (70-24). On August 3, O'Neill appoints a caretaker cabinet with Don Polye as finance minister, John Boito as internal security minister, and Moses Maladina as defense minister; Ano Pala remains foreign minister. In the definite cabinet announced on August 8, Guma Wau becomes defense minister.
Poland: Tomasz Siemoniak is sworn in as defense minister.
3
Gowda |
India: D.V. Sadananda Gowda is chosen to be the new chief minister of Karnataka. He is sworn in on August 4.
Pham |
Vietnam: The National Assembly approves a new cabinet including Pham Binh Minh as foreign minister, Vuong Dinh Hue as finance minister, and Nguyen Thai Binh as home affairs minister; Gen. Phung Quang Thanh remains defense minister.
4
Brazil: Defense Minister Nelson Jobim resigns. Celso Amorim is named to replace him; he takes office August 8.
5
Cyprus: A new cabinet is announced with Erato Kozakou-Markoulli as foreign minister and Kikis Kazamias as finance minister.
Yingluck | 
Surapong |
Thailand: Yingluck Shinawatra is elected prime minister (296-3 with 197 abstentions). On August 8 she is endorsed by the king and takes office. Her cabinet, sworn in on August 10, includes Surapong Tovichakchaikul as foreign minister, Yuthasak Sasiprapha as defense minister, Yongyuth Wichaidit as interior minister, and Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala as finance minister.
6
Mauritius: In a cabinet reshuffle (effective August 7), Xavier-Luc Duval is appointed as finance minister.
Suriname: Former foreign minister (1988-90) E.J. Sedoc dies.
7
Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Córdoba, José Manuel de la Sota (Union for Córdoba) wins 42.6% of the vote, Luis Juez (Civic Front) 29.5%, and Oscar Aguad (Radical Civic Union) 22.9%.
Cape Verde: In the first round of presidential elections, Jorge Carlos Fonseca (Movement for Democracy) wins 37.4% of the vote, Manuel Inocêncio Sousa (African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde) 33.3%, and Aristides Lima (independent) 25.9%; turnout is 53.2%. In the runoff held on August 21, Fonseca wins 54.2% of the vote and Sousa 45.8%; turnout is 59.7%.
Finland: Former prime minister (1987-91) Harri Holkeri dies.
São Tomé and Príncipe: In the presidential runoff, Manuel Pinto da Costa wins 52.9% of the vote and Evaristo Carvalho 47.1%. Turnout is 74%.
United States: Former governor of New York (1975-83) Hugh L. Carey and former governor of Oregon (1959-67) Mark O. Hatfield die.
8
Australia: The premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, announces his resignation effective October 20.
Libya: The chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, dissolves the cabinet, asking Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril to form a new one.
Syria: Gen. Dawoud Rajha is appointed to replace Gen. Ali Habib as defense minister.
9
Nigeria: Former governor of Oyo (1992-93) Kolapo Ishola dies.
10
Chad: The cabinet of Prime Minister Emmanuel Nadingar resigns, a procedural move following the swearing in (August 8) of President Idriss Déby Itno for a new term. On August 13 Nadingar is asked to form a new cabinet. Announced on August 17, this includes Benaindo Tatola as defense minister and Christian Georges Diguimbaye as finance minister.
Kramp-K. |
Germany: The Landtag of Saarland elects a new minister-president. In the first round of voting, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (Christian Democratic Union) and Heiko Maas (Social Democratic Party) both win 25 votes. In the second attempt Kramp-Karrenbauer defeats Maas 26-25.
India: Former governor of Tamil Nadu (1988-90), Maharashtra (1993-2002), and Goa (1996-98) P.C. Alexander dies.
Slovenia: Interior Minister Katarina Kresal resigns.
11
Gruzdev |
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev nominates acting incumbent Vladimir Gruzdev as governor of Tula oblast. On August 18 he is confirmed by the local Duma (39-0 with 7 abstentions) and inaugurated.
13
Panama: Former foreign minister (1964-68) Fernando Eleta Almarán dies.
14
Brazil: Former governor of Amapá (1979-85, 1991-95) Anníbal Barcellos dies.
Nepal: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal resigns. On August 28 Baburam Bhattarai of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is elected as prime minister, defeating Ram Chandra Poudel (Nepali Congress Party) 340-235. He is sworn in on August 29, together with Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar as home affairs minister.
New Zealand: Former governor-general (1985-90) Sir Paul Reeves dies.
15
Argentina: Former governor of Mendoza (1982-83) Bonifacio Cejuela dies.
Lewis |
Canada: Frank Lewis is sworn in as lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island.
16
Slovenia: Former prime minister (2000) Andrej Bajuk dies (night of August 15/16).
17
Nigeria: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is sworn in as finance minister.
Ukraine: The prime minister of Crimea, Vasyl Dzharty, dies.
19
Malawi: President Bingu wa Mutharika dissolves his cabinet, taking charge of all portfolios.
21
Argentina: Former governor of Corrientes (1973-76) Julio Romero dies.
22
Poltavchenko |
Russia: Valentina Matvienko resigns as governor of Saint Petersburg. Georgy Poltavchenko, the plenipotentiary of the president for the Tsentralny federal district, is appointed as acting governor; on August 30 he is nominated as governor and on August 31 confirmed by the local Assembly (37-0 with 5 abstentions) and sworn in, being relieved the same day from his duties as plenipotentiary.
Turks and Caicos Islands: Governor Gordon Wetherell departs and Martin Stanley becomes acting governor.
Yemen: Former prime minister of Yemen (Sana) (1975-80, 1983-90) and Yemen (1994-97) Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani dies from injuries suffered in a June 3 attack on the presidential palace.
23
Indonesia: The Constitutional Court annuls the July 20 election of Abraham O. Atururi as governor of Papua Barat. A repeat election is to be held on November 3.
Libya: The rebels attain control of most of Tripoli, effectively displacing the regime of Muammar al-Qaddafi.
24
Guadeloupe: Amaury de Saint-Quentin is named prefect.
Kenya: In a cabinet reshuffle, Moses Wetangula (suspended since October 2010) is reinstated as foreign minister.
Federated States of Micronesia: In gubernatorial elections in Chuuk, Johnson Elimo wins 42.8% of the vote, Alexander Narruhn 37.3%, and Redley Killion 19.9%.
25
Pakistan: Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan is sworn in as president of Azad Kashmir.
Paraguay: Interior Minister Federico Acuña resigns. On August 26 Carlos Filizzola is sworn in as interior minister.
Serbia: Lazar Mojsov, former president of the Presidium of the League of Communists (1980-81), foreign minister (1982-84), and president of the Presidency (1987-88) of Yugoslavia, dies.
26
Georgia: In presidential elections in Abkhazia, Acting President Aleksandr Ankvab wins 54.9% of the vote, Prime Minister Sergey Shamba 21%, and Raul Khadjimba 19.8%. Turnout is 71.9%.
India: The governor of Maharashtra, K. Sankaranarayanan, is appointed in addition as governor of Goa; M.O. Hasan Farook Maricar is appointed as governor of Kerala, Ram Naresh Yadav as governor of Madhya Pradesh, Vakkom Purushothaman as governor of Mizoram, Konijeti Rosaiah as governor of Tamil Nadu (sworn in August 31), and Syed Ahmed as governor of Jharkhand.
Japan: Prime Minister Naoto Kan resigns. On August 30 the Diet elects Yoshihiko Noda as new prime minister.
Deng |
South Sudan: A cabinet is named including Nhial Deng Nhial as foreign minister, Gen. John Kong Nyuon as defense minister, Gen. Alison Manani Magaya as interior minister, and Kosti Manibe Ngai as finance minister.
27
Guinea-Bissau: In a cabinet reshuffle, Mamadu Saliu Djaló Pires is named foreign minister, Baciro Djá defense minister, and Fernando Gomes interior minister.
Singapore: In presidential elections, Tony Tan wins 35.2% of the vote, Tan Cheng Bock 34.8%, Tan Jee Say 25%, and Tan Kin Lian 4.9%. Turnout is 94.6%.
28
Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Tucumán, incumbent José Alperovich (Frente para la Victoria) wins 69.9% of the vote and José Manuel Cano (Acuerdo Cívico y Social) 14.8%.
29
Estonia: Toomas Hendrik Ilves is reelected as president, winning 73 votes in the 101-seat parliament, against 25 for Indrek Tarand.
30
China: Jiang Dingzhi is named acting governor of Hainan and Li Jiheng acting governor of Yunnan.
Henríquez |
Panama: Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Varela is dismissed. In response Finance Minister Alberto Vallarino announces his resignation. On August 31 Roberto Henríquez is sworn in as foreign minister.
31
Colombia: Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera resigns. Juan Carlos Pinzón is named to replace him.
Mateparae |
New Zealand: Sir Jerry Mateparae is sworn in as governor-general.