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LETTER N° 11

From 11 to 17 MARCH

11
Latvia

Latvia, Local elections. Results : Victory for the left in elections for 4,335 municipal posts does not immediately threaten the center-right national government - comprised of Latvia's Way, People's Party and the nationalist Fatherland and Freedom party. But it indicates the political landscape may be shifting as the country looks ahead to parliamentary elections next year.

11
France

Municipal elections - 1st round. Results : Several cabinet ministers are also mayors of French cities and are fighting to retain their seats. Labor Minister Elizabeth Guigou is campaigning for Avignon. Transport Minister Jean Claude;Gayssot is trying to win Beziers. Only the former labor minister, Martine Aubrey, actually resigned to fight in Lille. Socialist politician Catherine Trautman, the sole woman mayor of a big French city, is fighting for a third term as Strasbourg mayor.

Paris, Mayoral election - 1st round. Results : He is losing ground to challengers Bertrand Delanoe, who heads the Socialists on the Paris council, and Philippe Seguin, a former RPR boss. Delanoe is the front runner in the polls.

11
Malta

Local elections. Results :

Labour leader Alfred Sant had a rousing welcome at a mass rally evening following the party's "decisive" victory at the council polls. 64 elected councillors.

12
Uganda

Presidential election. Results : In presidential elections, incumbent Yoweri Museveni wins 69.3% of the vote and Kizza Besigye 27.8%. Turnout is 70.3%.

12
Mauritius

National holiday : Independence Day (12 March 1968).

Mauritius was probably visited by Arabs and Malays in the Middle Ages. Portuguese sailors visited it in the 16th cent. The island was occupied by the Dutch from 1598 to 1710 and named after Prince Maurice of Nassau. The French settled the island in 1722 and called it Île de France. It became an important way station on the route to India. The French introduced the cultivation of sugarcane and imported large numbers of African slaves to work the plantations. The British captured the island in 1810 and restored the Dutch name. After the abolition of slavery in 1835, indentured laborers were brought from India ; their descendants constitute a majority of the population today. Politics on Mauritius was long the preserve of the French and the creoles, but the extension of the franchise under the 1947 constitution gave the Indians political power. Indian leaders in the 1950s and 60s favored independence, while the French and creoles wanted continuing association with Britain, fearing domination by the Hindu Indian majority. The 1967 election gave a majority in the assembly to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam's proindependence Labour party. Independence was granted in 1968, and Ramgoolam became the first prime minister. Mauritius joined the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations.

13
Gibraltar

National holiday : Commonwealth Day (second Monday of March).

The name Gibraltar derives from the Arabic Jabal-al-Tarik [mount of Tarik], dating from the capture (711) of the peninsula by the Moorish leader Tarik. The Spanish Held the peninsula (1309&endash;33) but did not definitively recover it from the Moors until 1462. The English have maintained possession since 1704 despite continual Spanish claims. The British post was besieged unsuccessfully by the Spanish and French (1704), by the Spanish (1726), and again by the Spanish and French (1779&endash;83). In World War I, Gibraltar served as a naval station. Many refugees fled there in the Spanish civil war (1936&endash;39). In World War II its fortifications were strengthened, and most of the civilian population was evacuated. It was frequently bombed in 1940&endash;41, but not seriously damaged. After the war Spain renewed claims to Gibraltar, which, as a British strategic air and naval base, continued to be a major source of friction between Britain and Spain. The residents affirmed (1967) their ties with Britain in a UN-supervised referendum, and in 1981 all residents were granted full British citizenship. From 1969 to 1985, Spain closed its border with Gibraltar. In 1991, Britain removed its military forces from Gibraltar, while retaining it as a dependency.

14
Russia

Russia's lower house of parliament rejected by a wide margin a Communist no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's government. Only 127 members voted in favor, far short of the 226 votes needed to pass in the 450-seat assembly. Seventy-six voted against and five abstained. Large numbers of deputies made good on their promises not to cast ballots.

14
Fiji

President Ratu Iloilo dismissed Chaudry and appointed Ratu Tevita Momoedonu the new prime minister.

Mr Momoedonu, an ethnic Fijian, was labour minister in Mr Qarase's interim government and served in Mr Chaudhry's multi-racial government.

14
Paraguay

President González Macchi appointed three new ministers : José Antonio Moreno Ruffinelli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lino Morel Minister of Agriculture and Alcedes Jimenez Minister of Public Works and Communication.

14
Pakistan

The provincial council of the Pakistan Muslim League, Balochistan, elected Jam Yousuf as provincial president here. No other candidate filed nomination papers for the top slot against Jam Yousaf. About 122 out of 151 members of the provincial council expressed their confidence in the leadership of Jam Yousuf.

15
India

Defense Minister George Fernandes resigns.

Profil : Born 3rd June, 1930 in Mangalore (Karnataka State). March-July 1977 Minister of Communications. July 1977-79 Minister of Industry. 1989-90 Minister of Railways. July 1994 President, Samata Party (one of the seven] Nationally recognised parties in India). 9 March, 1998 Minister of Defence.

15
Canada

(Alberta)

Nancy MacBeth resigned as Alberta's Liberal leader, the second time in a decade she has quit politics after losing to Ralph Klein.

Profile : Born on December 29, 1948 in Edmonton. Special Studies in translation and French-Canadian literature, Universite Laval, Quebec B.A. in French and Russian languages, University of Alberta. Elected MLA for Edmonton McClung, June 1998. Elected Alberta Liberal Leader April 1998. Alberta Minister of Health 1988 - 1992. Alberta Minister of Education 1986 - 1988. First elected to the Alberta Legislature in 1986.

15
Spain

Juan Vicente Herrera Campo is elected president of the Junta of Castilla-León (48-34).

Profile : Born in Burgos in 1956. B.LL from the University of Navarra in 1978. Legal practice Madrid and Burgos in 1987-1992, and therefore member of those cities' Bar, presently on a training. General Secretary of the Economic and Finance Council of the Junta de Castilla and León since 4 of June 1992 to the end of the IIId Autonómous Legislature. Provincial chairman of the Partido Popular in Burgos since the November 21, 1993 provincial Congress, a post to which he was reelected in Nov.19, 1996 Congress. Elected Attorney general in Burgos on 28 of May 1995, for the IVth Autonómous Legislature. Spokesman of the Parliamentarian Popular Group to the Assembly of Castilla and León since 7 of July 1995, has been entrusted with the new Reform about the Status of Autonomy.

17
Australia

(Queensland)

Federal by-election in the Queensland seat of Ryan. Results :

17
Ireland

National holiday : Saint Patrick's Day.

Parts of Ireland had already been Christianized before the arrival of St. Patrick in the 5th cent., but pagan tradition continued to appeal to the imagination of Irish poets even after the complete conversion of the country. The Celtic Christianity of Ireland produced many scholars and missionaries who traveled to England and the Continent, and it attracted students to Irish monasteries, until the 8th cent. perhaps the most brilliant of Europe. St. Columba and St. Columban were among the most famous of Ireland's missionaries. All the arts flourished ; Irish illuminated manuscripts were particularly noteworthy. In 444 or 445, with the approval of Pope St. Leo I, St. Patrick established his archiepiscopal see at Armagh. St. Patrick's mission was successful; Ireland was almost entirely Christian by the time of his death. He understood and wisely preserved the social structure of the country, converting the people tribe by tribe. Out of his hierarchy, organized by tribal units, developed the Celtic abbot-bishop system. At Patrick's instance, the traditional laws of Ireland were codified. Patrick modified them to harmonize with Christian practice, and he mitigated the harsher ones, particularly those that dealt with slaves and taxation of the poor. He introduced the Roman alphabet. In 457 he retired to Saul, where he died. He was buried in Downpatrick, which was a great European shrine until its destruction by the English government in 1539. Also enshrined to him is Croaghpatrick. Patrick's connection with Saint Patrick's Purgatory in Lough Derg is undoubtedly only legendary. His personality is said to have been unusually winning. Feast: Mar. 17.

This week on our web site VIPS-GOV you'll find a presentation of the Governments of

SPAIN and ROMANIA

A new section on VIPS has just been created. It is : VIPS-FEDS.

Thus a tour over the 5 continents will allow the visitor to click on a country of his choice and then find out all the characteristics of world republics or kingdoms, such as Federal Republics, States with Autonomous Provinces or Regions, or Republics with "Cantons" like Switzerland, for instance. This week :

AUSTRIA - 9 states (bundeslaender)

GERMANY - 16 states (Laender)

BELGIUM - 10 provinces (French : provinces ; Flemish : provincien)

SPAIN - 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas)

THIS WEEK'S STORY

1917

March 15

Abdication of Nikolai II
By the Grace of God, We, Nikolai II, Emperor of All the Russias, Tsar of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland, and so forth, to all our faithful subjects be it known :

In the days of a great struggle against a foreign enemy who has been endeavouring for three years to enslave our country, it pleased God to send Russia a further painful trial.

Internal troubles threatened to have a fatal effect on the further progress of this obstinate war. The destinies of Russia, the honour of her heroic Army, the happiness of the people, and the whole future of our beloved country demand that the war should be conducted at all costs to a victorious end.

The cruel enemy is making his last efforts and the moment is near when our valiant Army, in concert with our glorious Allies, will finally overthrow the enemy.

In these decisive days in the life of Russia we have thought that we owed to our people the close union and organisation of all its forces for the realisation of a rapid victory; for which reason, in agreement with the Imperial Duma, we have recognized that it is for the good of the country that we should abdicate the Crown of the Russian State and lay down the Supreme Power.

Not wishing to separate ourselves from our beloved son, we bequeath our heritage to our brother, the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, with our blessing for the future of the Throne of the Russian State.

We bequeath it our brother to govern in full union with the national representatives sitting in the Legislative Institutions, and to take his inviolable oath to them in the name of our well-beloved country.

We call upon all faithful sons of our native land to fulfil their sacred and patriotic duty of obeying the Tsar at the painful moment of national trial and to aid them, together with the representatives of the nation, to conduct the Russian State in the way of prosperity and glory.

May God help Russia.

Declaration from the Throne by Grand Duke Mikhail, March 16, 1917

A heavy task has been entrusted to me by the will of my brother, who has given me the Imperial Throne at a time of unprecedented war and domestic strife.

Animated by the same feelings as the entire nation - namely, that the welfare of the country overshadows all other interests - I am firmly resolved to accept the Supreme Power only if this should be the desire of our great people, which must, by means of a plebiscite, through their representatives in the Constituent Assembly, establish the form of government and the new fundamental law of the Russian State.

Invoking God's blessing, I therefore request all citizens of Russia to obey the Provisional Government, set up on the initiative of the Duma and invested with plenary powers, until, within as short a time as possible, the Constituent Assembly, elected on a basis of universal, equal, and secret suffrage, shall express the will of the nation regarding the form of government to be adopted

Source : The Times

11 Latvia		Latvia, Local elections. Results : Victory for the left in elections for 4,335 municipal posts does not immediately threaten the center-right national government - comprised of Latvia's Way, People's Party and the nationalist Fatherland and Freedom party. But it indicates the political landscape may be shifting as the country looks ahead to parliamentary elections next year.
11 France		Municipal elections - 1st round. Results : Several cabinet ministers are also mayors of French cities and are fighting to retain their seats. Labor Minister Elizabeth Guigou is campaigning for Avignon. Transport Minister Jean Claude;Gayssot is trying to win Beziers. Only the former labor minister, Martine Aubrey, actually resigned to fight in Lille. Socialist politician Catherine Trautman, the sole woman mayor of a big French city, is fighting for a third term as Strasbourg mayor. Paris, Mayoral election - 1st round. Results : He is losing ground to challengers Bertrand Delanoe, who heads the Socialists on the Paris council, and Philippe Seguin, a former RPR boss. Delanoe is the front runner in the polls.
11 Malta		Local elections. Results : Labour leader Alfred Sant had a rousing welcome at a mass rally evening following the party's "decisive" victory at the council polls. 64 elected councillors.
12 Uganda		Presidential election. Results : In presidential elections, incumbent Yoweri Museveni wins 69.3% of the vote and Kizza Besigye 27.8%. Turnout is 70.3%.
12 Mauritius		National holiday : Independence Day (12 March 1968). Mauritius was probably visited by Arabs and Malays in the Middle Ages. Portuguese sailors visited it in the 16th cent. The island was occupied by the Dutch from 1598 to 1710 and named after Prince Maurice of Nassau. The French settled the island in 1722 and called it Île de France. It became an important way station on the route to India. The French introduced the cultivation of sugarcane and imported large numbers of African slaves to work the plantations. The British captured the island in 1810 and restored the Dutch name. After the abolition of slavery in 1835, indentured laborers were brought from India ; their descendants constitute a majority of the population today. Politics on Mauritius was long the preserve of the French and the creoles, but the extension of the franchise under the 1947 constitution gave the Indians political power. Indian leaders in the 1950s and 60s favored independence, while the French and creoles wanted continuing association with Britain, fearing domination by the Hindu Indian majority. The 1967 election gave a majority in the assembly to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam's proindependence Labour party. Independence was granted in 1968, and Ramgoolam became the first prime minister. Mauritius joined the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations.
13 Gibraltar		National holiday : Commonwealth Day (second Monday of March). The name Gibraltar derives from the Arabic Jabal-al-Tarik [mount of Tarik], dating from the capture (711) of the peninsula by the Moorish leader Tarik. The Spanish Held the peninsula (1309&endash;33) but did not definitively recover it from the Moors until 1462. The English have maintained possession since 1704 despite continual Spanish claims. The British post was besieged unsuccessfully by the Spanish and French (1704), by the Spanish (1726), and again by the Spanish and French (1779&endash;83). In World War I, Gibraltar served as a naval station. Many refugees fled there in the Spanish civil war (1936&endash;39). In World War II its fortifications were strengthened, and most of the civilian population was evacuated. It was frequently bombed in 1940&endash;41, but not seriously damaged. After the war Spain renewed claims to Gibraltar, which, as a British strategic air and naval base, continued to be a major source of friction between Britain and Spain. The residents affirmed (1967) their ties with Britain in a UN-supervised referendum, and in 1981 all residents were granted full British citizenship. From 1969 to 1985, Spain closed its border with Gibraltar. In 1991, Britain removed its military forces from Gibraltar, while retaining it as a dependency.
14 Russia		Russia's lower house of parliament rejected by a wide margin a Communist no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's government. Only 127 members voted in favor, far short of the 226 votes needed to pass in the 450-seat assembly. Seventy-six voted against and five abstained. Large numbers of deputies made good on their promises not to cast ballots.
14 Fiji		President Ratu Iloilo dismissed Chaudry and appointed Ratu Tevita Momoedonu the new prime minister. Mr Momoedonu, an ethnic Fijian, was labour minister in Mr Qarase's interim government and served in Mr Chaudhry's multi-racial government.
14 Paraguay		President González Macchi appointed three new ministers : José Antonio Moreno Ruffinelli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lino Morel Minister of Agriculture and Alcedes Jimenez Minister of Public Works and Communication.
14 Pakistan		The provincial council of the Pakistan Muslim League, Balochistan, elected Jam Yousuf as provincial president here. No other candidate filed nomination papers for the top slot against Jam Yousaf. About 122 out of 151 members of the provincial council expressed their confidence in the leadership of Jam Yousuf.
15 India		Defense Minister George Fernandes resigns. Profil : Born 3rd June, 1930 in Mangalore (Karnataka State). March-July 1977 Minister of Communications. July 1977-79 Minister of Industry. 1989-90 Minister of Railways. July 1994 President, Samata Party (one of the seven] Nationally recognised parties in India). 9 March, 1998 Minister of Defence.
15 Canada (Alberta)		Nancy MacBeth resigned as Alberta's Liberal leader, the second time in a decade she has quit politics after losing to Ralph Klein. Profile : Born on December 29, 1948 in Edmonton. Special Studies in translation and French-Canadian literature, Universite Laval, Quebec B.A. in French and Russian languages, University of Alberta. Elected MLA for Edmonton McClung, June 1998. Elected Alberta Liberal Leader April 1998. Alberta Minister of Health 1988 - 1992. Alberta Minister of Education 1986 - 1988. First elected to the Alberta Legislature in 1986.
15 Spain		Juan Vicente Herrera Campo is elected president of the Junta of Castilla-León (48-34). Profile : Born in Burgos in 1956. B.LL from the University of Navarra in 1978. Legal practice Madrid and Burgos in 1987-1992, and therefore member of those cities' Bar, presently on a training. General Secretary of the Economic and Finance Council of the Junta de Castilla and León since 4 of June 1992 to the end of the IIId Autonómous Legislature. Provincial chairman of the Partido Popular in Burgos since the November 21, 1993 provincial Congress, a post to which he was reelected in Nov.19, 1996 Congress. Elected Attorney general in Burgos on 28 of May 1995, for the IVth Autonómous Legislature. Spokesman of the Parliamentarian Popular Group to the Assembly of Castilla and León since 7 of July 1995, has been entrusted with the new Reform about the Status of Autonomy.
17 Australia (Queensland)		Federal by-election in the Queensland seat of Ryan. Results :
17 Ireland		National holiday : Saint Patrick's Day. Parts of Ireland had already been Christianized before the arrival of St. Patrick in the 5th cent., but pagan tradition continued to appeal to the imagination of Irish poets even after the complete conversion of the country. The Celtic Christianity of Ireland produced many scholars and missionaries who traveled to England and the Continent, and it attracted students to Irish monasteries, until the 8th cent. perhaps the most brilliant of Europe. St. Columba and St. Columban were among the most famous of Ireland's missionaries. All the arts flourished ; Irish illuminated manuscripts were particularly noteworthy. In 444 or 445, with the approval of Pope St. Leo I, St. Patrick established his archiepiscopal see at Armagh. St. Patrick's mission was successful; Ireland was almost entirely Christian by the time of his death. He understood and wisely preserved the social structure of the country, converting the people tribe by tribe. Out of his hierarchy, organized by tribal units, developed the Celtic abbot-bishop system. At Patrick's instance, the traditional laws of Ireland were codified. Patrick modified them to harmonize with Christian practice, and he mitigated the harsher ones, particularly those that dealt with slaves and taxation of the poor. He introduced the Roman alphabet. In 457 he retired to Saul, where he died. He was buried in Downpatrick, which was a great European shrine until its destruction by the English government in 1539. Also enshrined to him is Croaghpatrick. Patrick's connection with Saint Patrick's Purgatory in Lough Derg is undoubtedly only legendary. His personality is said to have been unusually winning. Feast: Mar. 17.