August 1996 Rulers

August 1996

1

Eroglu

Cyprus: The president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktash, appoints Dervis Eroglu as prime minister. Eroglu forms his government on August 16.

Gr�msson

Iceland: �lafur Ragnar Gr�msson takes office as president.
The Netherlands: Former queen's commissioner of Limburg (1964-78) Charles van Rooy dies.
Somalia: Warlord Muhammad Farah Aydid dies.

2

France: Former prime minister (1959-62) and foreign minister (1968-69) Michel Debr� dies.

6

Bolivia: Former president (1956-60, 1982-85) Hern�n Siles Zuazo dies.
Burundi: Luc Rukingama becomes foreign minister.
Canada: Catherine Callbeck resigns as premier of Prince Edward Island.
Mauritius: Finance Minister Rundheersing Bheenick resigns.
Yemen: Former king (1962) Muhammad al-Badr dies.

7

Niger: Ibrahim Bar� Ma�nassara is sworn in as president.
Suriname: No candidate wins the necessary two-thirds majority in a National Assembly vote for president. Of the 50 lawmakers eligible to vote, 23 vote for incumbent Ronald Venetiaan, 24 for former prime minister Jules Wijdenbosch, and one abstains; two votes are disqualified. In a second vote on August 8, 26 vote for Venetiaan, 23 for Wijdenbosch, and one abstains. The decision now passes to the 869-member United Peoples Assembly (VVV), which includes regional and district councilors and where a simple majority is needed. The VVV meeting will take place September 5.

8

Canada: Jean-Louis Roux is named lieutenant governor of Quebec.
Grenada: Sir Daniel Williams becomes governor-general.
South Korea: In a cabinet reshuffle, Economy and Finance Minister Rha Woong Bae is replaced by Han Seung Soo.

9

United States: Former New Hampshire governor (1963-69) John W. King dies.

10

Bucaram

Ecuador: Abdal� Bucaram Ortiz takes office as president. The new vice president is Rosal�a Arteaga Serrano. Frank Vargas Pazzos becomes interior minister, V�ctor Manuel Bayes Garc�a defense minister, and Pablo Concho Ledergerber finance minister; Galo Leoro Franco remains foreign minister.

11

Chad: A new 21-member cabinet is named. Koibla Djimasta remains prime minister. The new foreign minister is Saleh Kebzabo.

12

Pakistan: The president of Azad Kashmir, Sardar Eskandar Hayyat Khan, is removed in a no-confidence vote. On August 25 Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim Khan is elected president.

13

Portugal: Former president (1974) Ant�nio de Sp�nola dies.

15

Russia: Aleksandr Livshits replaces Vladimir Panskov as finance minister.

16

Fern�ndez

Dominican Republic: Leonel Fern�ndez Reyna takes office as president. Eduardo Latorre is the new foreign minister.
Germany: Albert Osswald, former minister-president of Hessen (1969-76), dies.

17

Liberia: A meeting of West African heads of state in Abuja, Nigeria, chooses Ruth Perry to chair the Council of State, replacing Wilton Sankawulo.

18

Lebanon: In the first round of parliamentary elections, government supporters win 32 out of 35 seats in the Mount Lebanon region.

19

Togo: Prime Minister Edem Kodjo resigns. The next day Planning Minister Kwassi Klutse is appointed to succeed him. On August 27 Klutse names a cabinet in which Koffi Panou is foreign minister, replacing Barry Moussa Barque.

20

Cape Verde: Former foreign minister (1975-81) Abilio Duarte dies.

24

Niger: President Ibrahim Bar� Ma�nassara names an expanded cabinet. It includes former prime minister Amadou Ciss� as finance minister and Ousmane Issoufou Oubandawaki as defense minister. Another former prime minister, Souley Abdoulaye, is appointed minister of transport.

25

Lebanon: Islamists lose in the second round of parliamentary elections in north Lebanon while several supporters of Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri win seats, according to unofficial results.

26

Argentina: Former president (1971-73) Alejandro Agust�n Lanusse dies.
Estonia: Neither candidate wins the necessary two-thirds majority in a parliamentary vote for president. In the 101-member parliament, incumbent Lennart Meri gets 45 votes, former president Arnold R��tel 34, 14 members vote against both candidates. In two further tries on August 27, Meri receives 49 and 52 votes, respectively, still falling short of the necessary 68. The decision now passes to an electoral college that will convene on September 20.

27

Hamz�k

Congo: President Pascal Lissouba names former foreign minister David Charles Ganao as prime minister to succeed Joachim Yhombi-Opango, who had resigned August 23.
Slovakia: Pavol Hamz�k is appointed foreign minister, succeeding Juraj Schenk.

28

Bahrain: Former British political agent (1954-59) Charles Alexander Gault dies.

30

Chile: Former junta member Jos� Toribio Merino dies.