Rulers

August 2021

1

Myanmar: Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing takes on the role of prime minister of a caretaker government.
Syria: President Bashar al-Assad asks Prime Minister Hussein Arnous to form a new government. On August 10 Assad approves the new cabinet with no change in key portfolios.

2


Mirzoyan
Armenia: President Armen Sarkisyan reappoints Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister and appoints Arshak Karapetyan as defense minister. On August 3 he appoints Tigran Khachatryan as finance minister and on August 19 Ararat Mirzoyan as foreign minister.

Niazi

S.M. Chaudhry
Pakistan: The election to the reserved seats in the Azad Kashmir assembly is completed, giving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf a total of 32 of 53 seats, the Pakistan People's Party 12, and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) 7. On August 4 Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi is elected as prime minister of the state with 33 votes, defeating Chaudhry Lateef Akbar (15 votes), and sworn in. On August 17 the assembly elects Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry as president of Azad Kashmir. He receives 34 votes, against 16 for Mian Abdul Waheed; he is sworn in on August 25.
Tanzania: Defense Minister Elias Kwandikwa dies.
Tunisia: President Kaïs Saïed relieves Finance Minister Ali Kooli from his position, naming Sihem Boughdiri as acting finance minister.

3

The Bahamas: Former governor-general (2006-10) Arthur Dion Hanna dies.
Brazil: Former governor of Pernambuco (1991-95) Joaquim Francisco de Freitas Cavalcanti dies.
Indonesia: Former governor of Jakarta (1992-97) Soerjadi Soedirdja dies.

Raisi

Amir-Abdollahian
Iran: Ebrahim Raisi takes office as president (sworn in in parliament on August 5). On August 8 he names Mohammad Mokhber as first vice president; on August 9 he nominates Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as foreign minister; on August 11 he nominates the full cabinet with Mohammad Reza Ashtiani as defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi as interior minister, and Ehsan Khandouzi as finance minister. On August 25 parliament confirms almost all the ministers, including Amir-Abdollahian (270-10), Ashtiani (274-4), Vahidi (266-16), and Khandouzi (254-25).
Italy: Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government wins two confidence votes in the Chamber of Deputies (462-55 and 458-46).

Gavrilita
Moldova: Prime minister-designate Natalia Gavrilita announces her cabinet with Nicolae Popescu as foreign minister, Anatolie Nosatîi as defense minister, Ana Revenco as interior minister, and Dumitru Budianschi as finance minister. On August 6 the government is approved by parliament (61 votes) and sworn in.
United States: In mayoral open primaries in Detroit (turnout 14.3%), incumbent Mike Duggan wins 72.4% of the vote and Anthony Adams 10.0%. They will contest the election on November 2. In Seattle primaries (turnout 41.9%), Bruce Harrell wins 34.0% of the vote, Lorena González 32.1%, and Colleen Echohawk 10.3%.

4

Congo (Kinshasa): Ruth Baduli Gbangosa takes office as acting governor of Bas-Uélé.
Congo (Kinshasa): Parliament approves a fifth 15-days extension of the state of siege in the provinces of Ituri and Nord-Kivu, followed by a sixth on August 18.

5

China: Wang Lixia is appointed acting chairwoman of the government of Nei Mongol autonomous region.
Nigeria: Former administrator of Kano (1996-98) and Benue (1998-99) Dominic Oneya dies.
Saint Lucia: The new cabinet is sworn in with Alva Baptiste as foreign minister and Virginia Albert-Poyotte as home affairs minister.
South Africa: In a cabinet reshuffle, Thandi Modise is named defense minister and Enoch Godongwana finance minister.
Ukraine: Former prime minister (1995-96) Yevhen Marchuk dies.

6

Bulgaria: Prime minister-designate Plamen Nikolov presents his proposed cabinet with Radi Naidenov as foreign minister, Teodora Genchovska as defense minister, Petar Iliev as interior minister, and Plamen Danailov as finance minister. On August 10, however, the There is Such a People party announces that it will not propose the cabinet for a vote due to insufficient support from other parties. On August 12 parliament adopts a resolution acknowledging the failure of Nikolov to form a government. On August 20 Daniel Mitov declines a mandate to form a government. On August 27 President Rumen Radev gives the mandate to Korneliya Ninova.

8

Canada: Former premier of Ontario (1971-85) William Davis dies.

9

Antigua and Barbuda: Sir Lester Bird, former foreign minister (1981-91, 1991-2004) and prime minister (1994-2004), dies.
Brazil: Former governor of Goiás (1979-83) Ary Ribeiro Valadão dies.

10

Argentina: In a cabinet reshuffle, Jorge Taiana is sworn in as defense minister.
United States: The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, resigns, effective August 24, when he is replaced by the lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul.

11


P. Rajoelina
Madagascar: President Andry Rajoelina dismisses all ministers of the government of Prime Minister Christian Ntsay, other than Ntsay himself. On August 15 the new cabinet is announced with Patrick Rajoelina as foreign minister, Pierre Holder Ramaholimasy as interior minister, and Rindra Hasimbelo Rabarinirinarison as finance minister; Gen. Léon Jean Richard Rakotonirina is reappointed as defense minister.
Switzerland: Former president of the Council of State of Ticino (1999-2000, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2012-13) Marco Borradori dies.

12

Germany: Former minister-president of Sachsen (1990-2002) Kurt Biedenkopf dies.

Hichilema
Zambia: In presidential elections, Hakainde Hichilema (United Party for National Development) wins 57.9% of the vote and incumbent Edgar Lungu (Patriotic Front) 37.3%; turnout is 70.9%. In the parliamentary elections, the UPND wins 81 of 156 seats, the PF 63, and independents 10. Hichilema is sworn in on August 24. On August 27 Situmbeko Musokotwane is appointed as finance minister.

13

São Tomé and Príncipe: Defense and Interior Minister Óscar Sousa is dismissed. Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus takes up the portfolios.

14

Guinea-Bissau: Former prime minister (1991-94, 1997-98, 2008-09, 2015-16) Carlos Correia dies.

15

Afghanistan: Taliban forces enter Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani leaves the country. On August 19 the Taliban declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. On August 24 Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir is appointed acting defense minister, Sadr Ibrahim acting interior minister, and Gul Agha finance minister.
Algeria: Former prime minister (1984-88) Abdelhamid Brahimi dies.

16

Bolivia: Former foreign minister (1989-92) Carlos Iturralde Ballivián dies.
Congo (Kinshasa): The Constitutional Court invalidates the July 6 no-confidence vote against the governor of Équateur, Bobo Boloko Bolumbu.

Ismail
Malaysia: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin resigns. On August 20 the head of state appoints Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister (sworn in August 21). On August 27 Ismail announces his cabinet (sworn in August 30) with Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah as foreign minister and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as defense minister, the home and finance ministers being reappointed.
Sri Lanka: In a cabinet reshuffle, Gamini Lakshman Peiris becomes foreign minister.

17


Houston
Canada: In parliamentary elections in Nova Scotia, the Progressive Conservative Party wins 38.4% of the vote (31 of 55 seats), the Liberal Party 36.6% (17), and the New Democratic Party 21.0% (6). Turnout is 55.3%. On August 31 Tim Houston is sworn in as premier.
Peru: Foreign Minister Héctor Béjar Rivera resigns. On August 20 Óscar Maúrtua de Romaña is appointed and sworn in as foreign minister.

18

Romania: Dan Vîlceanu is appointed and sworn in as finance minister.

19


Plasencia
Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro names Félix Plasencia as foreign minister and Remigio Ceballos as interior minister.

20

Brazil: Former governor of Paraná (1973-75) Emílio Hoffmann Gomes dies.

21

Barbados: Governor-General Dame Sandra Mason is nominated as president, to be sworn in on November 30 when the country is set to become a republic.
Congo (Kinshasa): Former governor of Shaba (1991-95, 1997) Gabriel Kyungu wa Kumwanza dies.
India: Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (1991-92, 1997-98, 1998-99) and governor of Rajasthan (2014-19) and Himachal Pradesh (2015) Kalyan Singh dies.
Nigeria: Former governor of Oyo (1985-88) and administrator of Ekiti (2006-07) Adetunji Olurin dies.

22


Ganesan
India: La. Ganesan is appointed governor of Manipur (sworn in August 27).
Sweden: Prime Minister Stefan Löfven says he will resign in November.
Uruguay: Former foreign minister (1972-76) Juan Carlos Blanco dies.

23

Tunisia: President Kaïs Saïed extends the suspension of parliament indefinitely.

24

Chad: Former prime minister (1978-79) and president (1982-90) Hissène Habré dies.
Nigeria: Former governor of Ondo (1990-92) Abiodun Olukoya dies.
Sri Lanka: Former foreign minister (2005-07, 2015-17) Mangala Samaraweera dies.

25

Argentina: Former governor of Catamarca (2003-11) Eduardo Brizuela del Moral dies.
Indonesia: Sahbirin Noor is inaugurated as governor of Kalimantan Selatan.
Italy: Former president of Sicilia (1982-83) Calogero Lo Giudice dies.
Yemen: Mohsin al-Aini, former foreign minister (1962, 1965, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1974) and prime minister (1967, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1974-75) of Yemen (Sana), dies.

26

Comoros: In a cabinet reshuffle, Kamalidini Souef is named finance minister and Mahamoud Fakridine interior minister.
Mexico: Adán Augusto López, the governor of Tabasco, is appointed interior minister. Carlos Manuel Merino Campos becomes provisional governor.
Namibia: Former foreign minister (2004-10) Marco Hausiku dies.

27

Aruba: The formateur, Evelyn Wever-Croes, submits to Governor Alfonso Boekhoudt a coalition agreement by the People's Electoral Movement and RAIZ, with Wever-Croes to remain as prime minister.
Greece: Former acting prime minister (1996) Akis Tsochatzopoulos dies.
India: The governor of Tamil Nadu, Banwarilal Purohit, is given additional charge of Punjab and Chandigarh (sworn in August 31).
Kazakhstan: Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev offers his resignation. On August 31 President Kasymzhomart Tokayev accepts it and appoints Murat Bektanov as defense minister.
Peru: Prime Minister Guido Bellido's government wins a confidence vote in parliament (74-50).

28

Bolivia: Former foreign minister (1982-83) Mario Velarde Dorado dies.
China: Former governor of Shandong (1987-89) Jiang Chunyun dies.
Senegal: Former foreign minister (2012) Alioune Badara Cissé dies.

29

Argentina: In gubernatorial elections in Corrientes, incumbent Gustavo Valdés (Radical Civic Union) wins 76.8% of the vote and Fabián Ríos (Justicialist Party) 23.2%. Turnout is 66.0%.
Canada: The premier of Manitoba, Brian Pallister, announces his resignation effective September 1. On August 31 Kelvin Goertzen is chosen to become premier.

30

Estonia: In a first round of voting, parliament fails to elect a president. The sole candidate, Alar Karis, receives 63 votes (68 required) and there are 16 blank votes. In a second round on August 31, Karis is elected with 72 votes; there are 8 blank votes. Karis is to take office October 11.
Malaysia: Tun Sakaran Dandai, former chief minister (1994) and head of state (1995-2002) of Sabah, dies.

31

Canada: Danny Breen is reelected by acclamation as mayor of Saint John's.
Mexico: Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros takes office as governor of Tlaxcala.