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LETTER N° 9

From 25 FEBRUARY to 03 MARCH

25
Cape Verde

Second round of presidential elections if required. Results :

Pedro Pires (winner) 75900 (50.05 %)

Carlos Veiga 75736 (49.95 %)

The National Commission for Elections will announce,within a few days, the official results of these elections.

25
Moldova

Parliamentary elections. Results : The Communist Party wins 49.9% of the vote, followed by the Braghis Alliance with 13.4% and the Christian Democratic People's Party with 8.3%. Turnout is 69%.

Vladimir Voronin's Communist Party trounced centrists and reformists in early parliamentary elections, gaining control over the legislature, government and the office of president. They increased their representation in parliament to 71 of 101 seats, from 40 seats previously.

25
Kuwait

National Holiday : National Day (25 February 1950).

The development of the nation of Kuwait dates to the early 18th cent. when the town of Kuwait was founded by Arabs. The present ruling dynasty was established by Sabah abu Abdullah (ruled 1756&endash;72). In the late 18th and early 19th cent. the sheikhdom, nominally an Ottoman province, was frequently threatened by the Wahhabis. In 1897, Kuwait was made a British protectorate. In June, 1961, the British ended their protectorate, and Kuwait became an independent sheikhdom. However, the British supplied troops in July at the request of the sheikh when Iraq claimed sovereignty over Kuwait. A short time later the British forces were replaced by detachments from the Arab League, of which Kuwait is a member. In Oct., 1963, Iraq officially recognized the nation of Kuwait.

26
Yugoslavia

The lower house of the federal parliament passed by a majority of votes the controversial Amnesty Bill. Only four votes against were counted after Yugoslav Left [JUL] MPs staged a walk-out in protest at the alleged actions of Defense Minister Slobodan Krapovic, who was accused of having lashed out at Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj earlier at the session. Some Socialist Party of Serbia - SPS - representatives were brandishing posters saying "Free [former head of the state security service] Rade Markovic" and "You free Albanian slaughterers and arrest Yugoslav generals". The bill was passed with 76 in favor and one abstention. Around 15 proposed amendments were rejected.

26
EAC - Summit

Little progress was made at regional summit in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, convened to try and find a way out of the impasse surrounding the Burundi peace process. The summit was attended by the leaders of Burundi, Rwanda, DRC, Kenya, Tanzania and the vice-presidents of Uganda, Gabon and South Africa. The summit declaration "welcomed the progress attained in proximity talks aimed at achieving a cessation of hostilities in Burundi". The participants called on South African Vice President Jacob Zuma to "intensify his efforts with the objective of getting a ceasefire soon". They also appealed to the UN Security Council to "expedite the dispatch of peacekeepers and protection aides to Burundi as soon as there is a suspension of hostilities".

27
Dominican Republic

National Holiday : Independence Day (27 February 1844).

The Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti, which had occupied the whole island of Hispaniola since 1822. Prior to Haitian rule, France had administered the eastern part of the island starting in 1795, when Spain ceded the territory to France. The leader of Dominican independence against Haiti was Juan Pablo Duarte.

27
Guinée Bissau

President Koumba Yala from Guinea Bissau has dismissed both the head of his own personnal security, Mr. Baciro Dabo and the State Secretary for Fisheries, Mr. Augusto Poqueno. The preisdnetial decree gives no indication so far of the reasons for both dismissal.

27
Spain

The Spanish Interior Minister, Jaime Mayor Oreja, has been nominated as the governing Popular Party's candidate for Basque President in regional elections due in May. The Popular Party is the second largest party in the present Basque parliament. As Interior Minister, Mr Mayor Oreja -- a Basque -- has overseen security operations against the armed separatist group, ETA. Mr Mayor Oreja's nomination for the presidency has obliged the government to replace him at the interior ministry. His successor is Mariano Rajoy, a deputy prime minister.

27
Burundi

Heads of State from the Great Lakes region have given their consent to President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi to lead the first 18-month phase of transitional government.

28
Pakistan

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan), Legislative byelection. Results :

28
Bosnia and Hercegovina

Karlo Filipovic is elected president of the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

A moderate Croat and like-minded Muslim were elected to the executive of the Muslim-Croat federation for the first time since the end of the war. A narrow majority of 74 votes in the 140-seat parliament voted in favor of Croat Karlo Filipovic as president and Safet Halilovic, a Muslim, as vice-president. The presidency will shift between the two on an annual basis. Thirty-five deputies of the Muslim nationalist Party of Democratic Action (SDA) refrained from voting Tuesday, the radio said. The SDA holds 38 seats in the parliament. The nationalist Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) holding 25 seats in the parliament was not present at session. Both Halilovic and Filipovic belong to the Alliance for Changes, made up in January in a bid to end the nationalists' hold on both the central and Muslim-Croat federal level. The Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb republic were set up in Bosnia under the 1995 U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accords. Filipovic is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the strongest party in the Alliance, while Halilovic is a member of the Party for Bosnia-Hercegovina. The appointments have yet to be confirmed by the parliament's upper chamber.

28
Poland

Resignation of Polish treasury minister Andrzej Chronowski.

Born in1961 in Grybow (Nowy Sacz voivodship); possesses higher education; in 1985 he completed studies at the Mining-Metallurgical Academy in Cracow and a 2-year studies of teacher training; in 1992 he completed a course for candidate members of the governing bodies of State Treasury companies, and in 1992 he passed the qualifying examination in the Ministry of Ownership Changes. He specialises in commercial law, ownership changes and banking law. From 1987 to 1993 he worked at the Railroad Rolling Stock Repair Plant in Nowy Sàcz, where, among other things, he served as chairman of the Workers Council. From 1993 to 2000 he was Senator representing "Solidarity;" a member of the Senate Commission for the National Economy, Commission for Human Rights and Law and Order, and Commission for Legislative Initiatives and Work; chairman of the Regional Board of Solidarity Electoral Action for the Malopolska voivodship; and senator in the Fourth Senate. He has been Minister of the State Treasury since 16 August 2000.

01
Poland

The new treasury minister, non-party technocrat Aldona Kamela-Sowinska, also promised efforts to meet the government's plan of earning 18 billion zlotys ($4.5 billion) from sales this year, which is under threat from recent privatization failures.

SEE GOVERNMENT

01
Fiji

Sir Maurice Casey President of the Court of Appeal of the Fiji made the following declarations :

- The 1997 Constitution remains the supreme law of the land and has not been abrogated.

-The last Parliament was not dissolved but was prorogued for six months.

-The office of the President became vacant with the resignation of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on December 15, 2000. Section 88 of the 1997 Constitution allows for the Vice-President (Ratu Josefa Iloilo) to act in the position until March 15, 2001 unless a new President is appointed under Section 90 of the Constitution.

- The interim government's appeal is dismissed with costs of around F$50,000 (US$ 22,360) and accommodation and other expenses to be paid by the government.

01
Uzbekistan

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov appointed former president of labor Oqil Obidov as minister of the newly established ministry of labor and social security. The ministry was formed on the basis of the former ministry of labor and the ministry of social security abolished very recently.

01
Australia

(New South Wales)

Marie Bashir takes office as governor of New South Wales.

Dr Marie Bashir, was born and raised at Narrandera, near Wagga and Griffith, in the state's south. The new Governor of New South Wales will be, a member of the Medical Women's Society of New South Wales.

02
Haiti

Jean-Marie Chérestal is sworn in as prime minister.

02
Bosnia and Hercegovina

Alija Behmen becomes prime minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

03
Sierra Leone

In a cabinet reshuffle, Ahmed Ramadan Dumbuya becomes foreign minister and Peter Kuyembeh finance minister.

SEE GOVERNMENT

03
Bulgaria

National Holiday : Independence Day (3 March 1878).

In 1330, Macedonian Bulgaria was conquered by Serbia. After the battles of Kosovo (1389) and Nikopol (1396) Bulgaria was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. Turkish rule was often oppressive, and rebellions were frequent. By recognizing the authority of the Orthodox Eastern Church in Constantinople over all Christians in their empire, the Turks undermined the basis of Bulgarian culture. A determined effort was made to destroy Bulgarian Christianity and the Bulgarian language. The role of the Phanariots was particularly resented. Although the administration (1864&endash;69) of Midhat Pasha made Bulgaria briefly a model province, by then Bulgarian nationalism was strong. The Mount Athos monastery had continued to use Bulgarian; there, in 1762, a monk had written a history, the first modern literary work in Bulgarian. Bulgarian schools were allowed to open in 1835. In 1870 the Bulgarian Church was reestablished. In 1876 a rebellion, led by Stefan Stambulov, broke out. The subsequent Turkish reprisals (famous as the "Bulgarian atrocities") provided a reason for the Russians to liberate (1877&endash;78) their neighbors.

03
China

China's annual legislative session opened with deliberations that included the crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual group and curbing Taiwanese independence.The 2,000-member body aims to channel the interests and political proposals of non-Communist Party organizations into government policies. Ye said the body will continue to submit non-binding proposals to the government and report on the implementation of the government's 10th five-year economic plan covering 2001-2005. Ye also vowed the CPPCC would "resolutely oppose any separatist attempts" from Taiwan. He referred to the "Three Represents" theory of President Jiang, an indication that "Jiang thought" would be enshrined in the CCP charter at the once-every-five year CCP Congress to be held next year.Jiang is expected to resign as party boss and president after next year's CCP congress. The CPPCC annually meets concurrently with the National People's Congress, which begins Monday with the annual work report of Premier Zhu Rongji.

03
Senegal

President Abdoulaye Wade dismissed his Prime Minister, Moustapha Niasse, with whom he held an audience. Niasse's successor, Justice Minister Madior Boye, is Senegal's first woman prime minister and one of just a handful ever to hold such a senior position in Africa. In 1993 Agathe Uwilingiyimana was appointed interim prime minister in Rwanda.

03
Argentina

President Fernando de la Rua called on his entire Cabinet to resign to allow a reshuffle after Economy Minister Jose Luis Machinea quit.

This week on our VIPS-GOV site, there are some others governments of the E.U, including :

FINLAND

THIS WEEK'S STORY

293
March 01

Diocletianus installs a «tetrarchy»

On March 1, 293 the Roman Emperor Diocletianus installed a «tetrarchy», an unprecedented form of 4- headed government. Diocletianus was a distinguished soldier born in the Danubian area. He soon realized the government of the empire was overwhelming the abilities of a single ruler. The pressure from the Barbarians was increasing at the borders of the Empire and some provinces such as Gaul reached the point of self-government. The year following his accession to power, in 286, Diocletianus chose a colleague, Maximian. The cohabitation was smooth. Diocletianus then completed the system including two new emperors who were inferior. And that was the "tetrarchy". Diocletianus and Maximian took the official title of August. The former ruled over the Orient (capital : Nicomedia, across the city of Istanbul), the latter ruled Italy and Africa (capital : Milan). As for the deputy-emperors, they took the official title of Cesar. Constance Chlore ruled Spain, Brittany and Gaul (capital : Triers), Galerius ruled over Illyria (capital: Sirmium, in today's Hungary ). The emperor divided the vast imperial provinces into smaller constituencies for an easier organization and defense. Rome was no longer the seat of the government. They quit the Everlasting City for the benefit of frontier towns close to the Roman legions. As he decentralized the administration of the Empire, Diocletianus found it necessary to strengthen his cultural and political cohesion. That is the reason why his reign was struck by violent persecussions against Christian communities who rejected the imperial cult.
Life an death of the tetrarchy
According to the very same rules they had established, Diocletianus and Maximian wilingly resigned in 305. Still, their successors happened to be "greedy" and self-interested so the tetrarchy was shattered by internal struggles. Nevertheless, the scission of the Empire between the Orient (Greek) and the Occident (Latin) had been duly prepared. There is a relic about the tetrarchy in Venice on an outside wall of Saint Marc's basilica where a red-stone sculpture representing the tetrarchs stands. It was discovered in Constantinople and brought back by the Crusaders. (Included Image)

By : André Larané

Thanks to : http://www.Herodote.net

25 Cape Verde		Second round of presidential elections if required. Results : Pedro Pires (winner) 75900 (50.05 %) Carlos Veiga 75736 (49.95 %) The National Commission for Elections will announce,within a few days, the official results of these elections.
25 Moldova		Parliamentary elections. Results : The Communist Party wins 49.9% of the vote, followed by the Braghis Alliance with 13.4% and the Christian Democratic People's Party with 8.3%. Turnout is 69%. Vladimir Voronin's Communist Party trounced centrists and reformists in early parliamentary elections, gaining control over the legislature, government and the office of president. They increased their representation in parliament to 71 of 101 seats, from 40 seats previously.
25 Kuwait		National Holiday : National Day (25 February 1950). The development of the nation of Kuwait dates to the early 18th cent. when the town of Kuwait was founded by Arabs. The present ruling dynasty was established by Sabah abu Abdullah (ruled 1756&endash;72). In the late 18th and early 19th cent. the sheikhdom, nominally an Ottoman province, was frequently threatened by the Wahhabis. In 1897, Kuwait was made a British protectorate. In June, 1961, the British ended their protectorate, and Kuwait became an independent sheikhdom. However, the British supplied troops in July at the request of the sheikh when Iraq claimed sovereignty over Kuwait. A short time later the British forces were replaced by detachments from the Arab League, of which Kuwait is a member. In Oct., 1963, Iraq officially recognized the nation of Kuwait.
26 Yugoslavia		The lower house of the federal parliament passed by a majority of votes the controversial Amnesty Bill. Only four votes against were counted after Yugoslav Left [JUL] MPs staged a walk-out in protest at the alleged actions of Defense Minister Slobodan Krapovic, who was accused of having lashed out at Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj earlier at the session. Some Socialist Party of Serbia - SPS - representatives were brandishing posters saying "Free [former head of the state security service] Rade Markovic" and "You free Albanian slaughterers and arrest Yugoslav generals". The bill was passed with 76 in favor and one abstention. Around 15 proposed amendments were rejected.
26 EAC - Summit		Little progress was made at regional summit in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, convened to try and find a way out of the impasse surrounding the Burundi peace process. The summit was attended by the leaders of Burundi, Rwanda, DRC, Kenya, Tanzania and the vice-presidents of Uganda, Gabon and South Africa. The summit declaration "welcomed the progress attained in proximity talks aimed at achieving a cessation of hostilities in Burundi". The participants called on South African Vice President Jacob Zuma to "intensify his efforts with the objective of getting a ceasefire soon". They also appealed to the UN Security Council to "expedite the dispatch of peacekeepers and protection aides to Burundi as soon as there is a suspension of hostilities".
27 Dominican Republic		National Holiday : Independence Day (27 February 1844). The Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti, which had occupied the whole island of Hispaniola since 1822. Prior to Haitian rule, France had administered the eastern part of the island starting in 1795, when Spain ceded the territory to France. The leader of Dominican independence against Haiti was Juan Pablo Duarte.
27 Guinée Bissau		President Koumba Yala from Guinea Bissau has dismissed both the head of his own personnal security, Mr. Baciro Dabo and the State Secretary for Fisheries, Mr. Augusto Poqueno. The preisdnetial decree gives no indication so far of the reasons for both dismissal.
27 Spain		The Spanish Interior Minister, Jaime Mayor Oreja, has been nominated as the governing Popular Party's candidate for Basque President in regional elections due in May. The Popular Party is the second largest party in the present Basque parliament. As Interior Minister, Mr Mayor Oreja -- a Basque -- has overseen security operations against the armed separatist group, ETA. Mr Mayor Oreja's nomination for the presidency has obliged the government to replace him at the interior ministry. His successor is Mariano Rajoy, a deputy prime minister.
27 Burundi		Heads of State from the Great Lakes region have given their consent to President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi to lead the first 18-month phase of transitional government.
28 Pakistan		Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan), Legislative byelection. Results :
28 Bosnia and Hercegovina		Karlo Filipovic is elected president of the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina. A moderate Croat and like-minded Muslim were elected to the executive of the Muslim-Croat federation for the first time since the end of the war. A narrow majority of 74 votes in the 140-seat parliament voted in favor of Croat Karlo Filipovic as president and Safet Halilovic, a Muslim, as vice-president. The presidency will shift between the two on an annual basis. Thirty-five deputies of the Muslim nationalist Party of Democratic Action (SDA) refrained from voting Tuesday, the radio said. The SDA holds 38 seats in the parliament. The nationalist Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) holding 25 seats in the parliament was not present at session. Both Halilovic and Filipovic belong to the Alliance for Changes, made up in January in a bid to end the nationalists' hold on both the central and Muslim-Croat federal level. The Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb republic were set up in Bosnia under the 1995 U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accords. Filipovic is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the strongest party in the Alliance, while Halilovic is a member of the Party for Bosnia-Hercegovina. The appointments have yet to be confirmed by the parliament's upper chamber.
28 Poland		Resignation of Polish treasury minister Andrzej Chronowski. Born in1961 in Grybow (Nowy Sacz voivodship); possesses higher education; in 1985 he completed studies at the Mining-Metallurgical Academy in Cracow and a 2-year studies of teacher training; in 1992 he completed a course for candidate members of the governing bodies of State Treasury companies, and in 1992 he passed the qualifying examination in the Ministry of Ownership Changes. He specialises in commercial law, ownership changes and banking law. From 1987 to 1993 he worked at the Railroad Rolling Stock Repair Plant in Nowy Sàcz, where, among other things, he served as chairman of the Workers Council. From 1993 to 2000 he was Senator representing "Solidarity;" a member of the Senate Commission for the National Economy, Commission for Human Rights and Law and Order, and Commission for Legislative Initiatives and Work; chairman of the Regional Board of Solidarity Electoral Action for the Malopolska voivodship; and senator in the Fourth Senate. He has been Minister of the State Treasury since 16 August 2000.
01 Poland		The new treasury minister, non-party technocrat Aldona Kamela-Sowinska, also promised efforts to meet the government's plan of earning 18 billion zlotys ($4.5 billion) from sales this year, which is under threat from recent privatization failures. SEE GOVERNMENT
01 Fiji		Sir Maurice Casey President of the Court of Appeal of the Fiji made the following declarations : - The 1997 Constitution remains the supreme law of the land and has not been abrogated. -The last Parliament was not dissolved but was prorogued for six months. -The office of the President became vacant with the resignation of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on December 15, 2000. Section 88 of the 1997 Constitution allows for the Vice-President (Ratu Josefa Iloilo) to act in the position until March 15, 2001 unless a new President is appointed under Section 90 of the Constitution. - The interim government's appeal is dismissed with costs of around F$50,000 (US$ 22,360) and accommodation and other expenses to be paid by the government.
01 Uzbekistan		President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov appointed former president of labor Oqil Obidov as minister of the newly established ministry of labor and social security. The ministry was formed on the basis of the former ministry of labor and the ministry of social security abolished very recently.
01 Australia (New South Wales)		Marie Bashir takes office as governor of New South Wales. Dr Marie Bashir, was born and raised at Narrandera, near Wagga and Griffith, in the state's south. The new Governor of New South Wales will be, a member of the Medical Women's Society of New South Wales.
02 Haiti		Jean-Marie Chérestal is sworn in as prime minister.
02 Bosnia and Hercegovina		Alija Behmen becomes prime minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina.
03 Sierra Leone		In a cabinet reshuffle, Ahmed Ramadan Dumbuya becomes foreign minister and Peter Kuyembeh finance minister. SEE GOVERNMENT
03 Bulgaria		National Holiday : Independence Day (3 March 1878). In 1330, Macedonian Bulgaria was conquered by Serbia. After the battles of Kosovo (1389) and Nikopol (1396) Bulgaria was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. Turkish rule was often oppressive, and rebellions were frequent. By recognizing the authority of the Orthodox Eastern Church in Constantinople over all Christians in their empire, the Turks undermined the basis of Bulgarian culture. A determined effort was made to destroy Bulgarian Christianity and the Bulgarian language. The role of the Phanariots was particularly resented. Although the administration (1864&endash;69) of Midhat Pasha made Bulgaria briefly a model province, by then Bulgarian nationalism was strong. The Mount Athos monastery had continued to use Bulgarian; there, in 1762, a monk had written a history, the first modern literary work in Bulgarian. Bulgarian schools were allowed to open in 1835. In 1870 the Bulgarian Church was reestablished. In 1876 a rebellion, led by Stefan Stambulov, broke out. The subsequent Turkish reprisals (famous as the "Bulgarian atrocities") provided a reason for the Russians to liberate (1877&endash;78) their neighbors.
03 China		China's annual legislative session opened with deliberations that included the crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual group and curbing Taiwanese independence.The 2,000-member body aims to channel the interests and political proposals of non-Communist Party organizations into government policies. Ye said the body will continue to submit non-binding proposals to the government and report on the implementation of the government's 10th five-year economic plan covering 2001-2005. Ye also vowed the CPPCC would "resolutely oppose any separatist attempts" from Taiwan. He referred to the "Three Represents" theory of President Jiang, an indication that "Jiang thought" would be enshrined in the CCP charter at the once-every-five year CCP Congress to be held next year.Jiang is expected to resign as party boss and president after next year's CCP congress. The CPPCC annually meets concurrently with the National People's Congress, which begins Monday with the annual work report of Premier Zhu Rongji.
03 Senegal		President Abdoulaye Wade dismissed his Prime Minister, Moustapha Niasse, with whom he held an audience. Niasse's successor, Justice Minister Madior Boye, is Senegal's first woman prime minister and one of just a handful ever to hold such a senior position in Africa. In 1993 Agathe Uwilingiyimana was appointed interim prime minister in Rwanda.
03 Argentina		President Fernando de la Rua called on his entire Cabinet to resign to allow a reshuffle after Economy Minister Jose Luis Machinea quit.