Rulers
December 2024
1
Romania: In parliamentary elections, the Social Democratic Party wins 22.0% of the vote for the Chamber of Deputies (86 of 330 seats) and 22.3% of the vote for the Senate (36 of 136 seats), the Alliance for the Union of Romanians 18.0% (64) and 18.3% (28), the National Liberal Party 13.2% (49) and 14.3% (22), the Save Romania Union 12.4% (40) and 12.3% (19), S.O.S. Romania 7.4% (27) and 7.8% (12), the Party of Young People 6.5% (24) and 6.4% (9), and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania 6.3% (22) and 6.4% (10). Turnout is 52.5%.
2
Belgium: Bernard Quintin is sworn in as foreign minister.
United States: Monroe Nichols takes office as mayor of Tulsa.
3
Georgia: The Constitutional Court publishes its decision to reject a request by President Salome Zurabishvili to annul the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections.
Iceland: President Halla Tómasdóttir asks Kristrún Frostadóttir to form a government. It is appointed on December 21, with Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir as foreign minister and Dadi Már Kristófersson as finance minister.
South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law, banning all political and parliamentary activities. On December 4, in an extraordinary session ignoring the martial law, the 300-seat parliament votes 190-0 (supporters of the president being absent) to overturn the declaration. Later that day Yoon accepts the vote and martial law is lifted. The opposition parties file a motion to impeach Yoon. Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun offers his resignation; on December 5 Yoon accepts it and nominates Choi Byung Hyuk as defense minister, Kim Seon Ho becoming acting defense minister until Choi takes office. On December 7 the impeachment motion fails as only 195 votes are cast (200 in favour needed). On December 8 Interior Minister Lee Sang Min resigns and Ko Ki Dong becomes acting interior minister. In a second attempt on December 14, parliament votes 204-85 to impeach Yoon. He is suspended from office and Prime Minister Han Duck Soo becomes acting president. The Constitutional Court has 180 days to rule on Yoon's removal. On December 26 the opposition submits an impeachment motion against Han; it passes 192-0 (sufficient for a prime minister) on December 27. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang Mok becomes acting prime minister and acting president.
Senegal: Ousmane Sonko is confirmed as prime minister with a mostly unchanged cabinet.
4
Colombia: Finance Minister Ricardo Bonilla resigns. Diego Guevara is named in his place.
El Salvador: Former member of the Junta of Government (1960-61) César Yanes Urías dies.
France: Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government is defeated in a no-confidence vote, which receives 331 votes (288 needed). Barnier resigns on December 5. On December 13 President Emmanuel Macron names François Bayrou as prime minister, who takes office the same day. On December 23 his cabinet is named with Éric Lombard as finance minister; the foreign, armies, and interior ministers remain in place.
India: Devendra Fadnavis is chosen as chief minister of Maharashtra (sworn in December 5).
Lithuania: President Gitanas Nauseda approves most of the cabinet (see November 19); it is completed on December 11. The government takes office on December 12.
United States: Shelley Berkley is sworn in as mayor of Las Vegas.
5
Russia: President Vladimir Putin accepts the resignation of the governor of Kursk oblast, Aleksey Smirnov, and appoints Aleksandr Khinshtein as acting governor.
6
Aruba: In parliamentary elections, the Aruban People's Party wins 32.2% of the vote (9 of 21 seats), the People's Electoral Movement 31.7% (8), Future 13.2% (3), and the Aruban Patriotic Party 6.4% (1). Turnout is 79.5%. On December 11 Governor Alfonso Boekhoudt appoints Tisa LaSorte as informateur for the formation of a government. On December 27 she submits her report, recommending the appointment of two formateurs, Mike Eman (Aruban People's Party) and Gerlien Croes (Future).
Burkina Faso: President Ibrahim Traoré dismisses Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla and dissolves the government. On December 7 Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo is appointed prime minister. On December 8 his cabinet is announced with Gen. Célestin Simporé as defense minister, other key ministers remaining in place. Ouedraogo takes office December 9.
Canada: Bernadette McIntyre is appointed as lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan.
Croatia: Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic survives a no-confidence motion (rejected 76-64).
Mauritius: Dharam Gokhool is elected president by the National Assembly (sworn in December 7).
Romania: The Constitutional Court annuls the first round of presidential elections, ordering a re-run of the entire election process.
Zimbabwe: Former acting president (2017) Phelekezela Mphoko dies.
7
Congo (Kinshasa): Parliament approves an 86th extension of the state of siege in Ituri and Nord-Kivu. The government (during parliamentary recess) adopts an 87th on December 20 and an 88th on December 27 (for 14 days beginning Jan. 6, 2025).
Ghana: In presidential elections, former president John Dramani Mahama wins 56.6% of the vote and Mahamudu Bawumia 41.6%. Turnout is 60.9%. Mahama will take office Jan. 7, 2025.
8
India: Former chief minister of Pondicherry (1980-83, 1990-91) D. Ramachandran dies.
Syria: President Bashar al-Assad leaves the country as rebels enter Damascus. Rebel leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani (who begins to use the name Ahmad al-Sharaa) says Prime Minister Muhammad Ghazi al-Jalali will remain to supervise state institutions until they are handed over to a transitional government. On December 9 Muhammad al-Bashir is designated prime minister. On December 10 he says he has been appointed to head a transitional government until March 1, 2025; it includes Muhammad Abdul Rahman as interior minister and Basil Abdul Aziz as economy minister. On December 12 it is announced that the constitution and parliament are suspended for the transition period. On December 21 Asaad Hassan al-Shibani is named foreign minister and Murhaf Abu Qasra defense minister.
Tanzania: In a cabinet reshuffle, Innocent Bashungwa is appointed home affairs minister (sworn in December 10).
9
Canada: The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau survives a no-confidence motion (rejected 180-152).
Tonga: Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni resigns ahead of a no-confidence motion. Deputy Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu becomes acting prime minister. A new prime minister is to be selected on December 24. On December 10 the internal affairs minister, Lord Vaea, resigns; Vaipulu is said to be also acting foreign and defense minister. On December 24 'Aisake Eke is elected prime minister, winning 16 votes against 8 for Viliame Latu; the result is endorsed by the king. Eke is expected to be sworn in on Feb. 3, 2025.
10
Belgium: King Philippe extends to December 20 the mandate of the formateur, Bart De Wever; on that date it is further extended to Jan. 7, 2025.
India: Former chief minister of Karnataka (1999-2004), governor of Maharashtra (2004-08), and foreign minister (2009-12) S.M. Krishna dies.
United States: Kevin McCarty is sworn in as mayor of Sacramento.
11
Germany: The Landtag of Brandenburg elects a minister-president. In the first round, incumbent Dietmar Woidke wins 43 votes (45 needed), with 40 against. In the second round, he is elected 50-36.
Guernsey: Elections are held for 9 of the 18 seats on the Chief Pleas of Sark. Turnout is 66%.
Switzerland: Karin Keller-Sutter is elected president for 2025 (168 of 203 votes). Guy Parmelin is elected vice president (196 of 219 votes).
12
Germany: The Landtag of Thüringen elects Mario Voigt as minister-president (51-33).
Somalia: Abdirahman Irro is sworn in as president of Somaliland. On December 14 he names a cabinet including Abdirahman Dahir Adan Bakaal as foreign minister, Mohamed Yusuf Ali Ahmed as defense minister, Abdillaahi Hassan Adan Awaale as finance minister, and Abdalla Mohamed Arab as minister of internal security.
13
Canada: Mike Savage is sworn in as lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia.
Suriname: Former foreign minister (1986-87) Henk Herrenberg dies.
14
Australia: Former administrator of the Northern Territory (1993-97) Austin Asche dies.
Georgia: A 300-member electoral college, boycotted by the main opposition, elects Mikheil Kavelashvili, the only candidate, as president (224-0). He is to take office December 29. President Salome Zurabishvili does not recognize the election and says she will stay in office. The inauguration takes place as scheduled.
United States: In the mayoral runoff in El Paso, Renard Johnson wins 56.1% of the vote and Brian Kennedy 43.9%. Turnout is 8.2%.
15
United States: Kelly Armstrong is sworn in as governor of North Dakota.
16
Canada: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigns. Dominic LeBlanc is named finance minister.
Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a confidence vote, with 207 votes in favour, 394 against, and 116 abstentions. On December 27 President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolves parliament, early elections to be held on Feb. 23, 2025.
Kyrgyzstan: President Sadyr Japarov dismisses the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Akylbek Japarov, and appoints Adylbek Kasymaliyev as acting chairman, also nominating him for the substantive post. On December 18 Kasymaliyev is endorsed by parliament, appointed, and sworn in as chairman, his cabinet being unchanged in key portfolios.
Uruguay: President-elect Yamandú Orsi names his cabinet including Mario Lubetkin as foreign minister, Sandra Lazo as defense minister, Carlos Negro as interior minister, and Gabriel Oddone as finance minister.
18
Germany: The Landtag of Sachsen elects a minister-president. In the first round, incumbent Michael Kretschmer wins 55 votes (61 needed), Jörg Urban 40, and Matthias Berger 6. In the second round, Kretschmer is elected with 69 votes, against 39 for Berger and 1 for Urban.
Ireland: Prime Minister Simon Harris resigns as the new parliament meets.
Myanmar: Gen. Maung Maung Aye is appointed defense minister.
19
Gabon: The new constitution (see November 16) is promulgated.
Kenya: In a cabinet reshuffle, Kipchumba Murkomen is named interior minister.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Former director-general (1987-99) Federico Mayor dies.
20
Canada: Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia is appointed as lieutenant governor of British Columbia.
China: Sam Hou Fai is sworn in as chief executive of Macau.
India: Former chief minister of Haryana (1989-90, 1990, 1991, 1999-2005) Om Prakash Chautala dies.
Italy: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government wins a confidence vote in parliament (211-111).
21
Curaçao: Former prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles (1979-84, 1986-88) Dominico F. Martina dies.
Nigeria: Former governor of Akwa Ibom (1988-90) and Rivers (1990-92) Godwin Abbe dies.
22
Indonesia: Former governor of Kalimantan Timur (2008-18) Awang Faroek Ishak dies.
Italy: Former president of Valle d'Aosta (1984-90, 2008-17) Augusto Rollandin dies.
23
Romania: President Klaus Johannis asks Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to form a new government. This is named and confirmed by parliament (240-143) the same day, with Emil Hurezeanu as foreign minister and Barna Tánczos as finance minister; Angel Tîlvar remains defense minister and Catalin Predoiu interior minister.
24
Brazil: Former governor of Rio Grande do Sul (1991-95) Alceu de Deus Collares dies.
India: President Draupadi Murmu accepts the resignation of the governor of Odisha, Raghubar Das, and appoints Hari Babu Kambhampati as governor, as well as Vijay Kumar Singh as governor of Mizoram, Rajendra Arlekar as governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammad Khan as governor of Bihar, and Ajay Kumar Bhalla as governor of Manipur.
Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri announces he will abdicate on Oct. 3, 2025.
New Caledonia: The government of President Louis Mapou collapses as the Caledonia Together party withdraws.
Suriname: Former chairman of the National Military Council (1980-88) and president (2010-20) Desi Bouterse dies.
26
India: Former prime minister (2004-14) and foreign minister (2005-06) Manmohan Singh dies.
Switzerland: Former president of the government of Jura (1998, 2003) Gérald Schaller dies.
29
Chad: In parliamentary elections, the Patriotic Salvation Movement wins 124 of 188 seats, the National Rally of Chadian Democrats 12, the Rally for Democracy and Progress 8, and the National Union for Democracy and Renewal 7. Turnout is 51.6%.
Croatia: In the first round of presidential elections, incumbent Zoran Milanovic wins 49.7% of the vote, Dragan Primorac 19.6%, Marija Selak Raspudic 9.4%, Ivana Kekin 9.0%, and Tomislav Jonjic 5.1%. Turnout is 46.0%. A runoff will be held Jan. 12, 2025.
North Korea: The appointment of Pak Thae Song as premier is announced.
United States: Former governor of Georgia (1971-75) and president (1977-81) Jimmy Carter dies.
30
Seychelles: It is announced that Finance Minister Naadir Hassan will leave office at the end of January 2025. Vice President Ahmed Afif will then oversee the ministry.
Switzerland: Former president of the government of Bern (1976-77, 1985-86) Werner Martignoni dies.
Tanzania: Former sultan of Zanzibar (1963-64) Sayyid Jamshid ibn Abdullah dies.
31
Estonia: Former chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian S.S.R. (1983-90), chairman of the Supreme Council (1990-92), and president (2001-06) Arnold Rüütel dies.
Hungary: Mihály Varga ceases to be finance minister. The ministry will be merged into the Ministry of Economy, under Márton Nagy.
Mexico: Former governor of Sonora (1979-85) Samuel Ocaña García dies.
United States: Former governor of Florida (1998-99) Buddy MacKay dies.