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LETTER N° 20

From 14 to 20 May

14

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia, State elections. Results : The Social Democratic Party wins 42.8% of the vote, the Christian Democratic Union 37%, the Free Democratic Party 9.8%, and the Greens 7.1%. Turnout is 56.7%.

14

Uruguay

Local authority elections in 19 departments. Results : Partido Colorado was leading the Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio 44.3% to 41.7%. Nationwide, Partido Colorado appears to be leading in 13 of the 19 provinces ; Partido Nacional, 5; and, Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio, 1, Montevideo.

14

Ethiopia

General elections.The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary DemocraticFront (EPRDF) party easily won in Addis Ababa during Sunday's national and regional elections, losing only four of the 23 federal parliament seats allotted to the city, according to preliminary results. Among the four losers, however, was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence TeferaWalewa who lost his seat in his constituency of District 18. Retired Maj. Admassie Melaku of the All-Amhara People's Organisation (AAPO)(opposition) won it. The EPRDF lost the other two parliament seats to the opposition Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP). An independent candidate won the fourth seat.

14

Russia

St. Petersburg, Mayoral election. Results : Voters here went to the polls on May 14, 2000 in a mayoral election; initial results from Sunday's poll in Russia's second-largest city, St Petersburg point to an outright win by its incumbent governor, Vladimir Yakovlev, who's a rival of President Vladimir Putin. Yakovlev is on 73 percent, far ahead of the next candidate, a liberal, on just 18. Backed by communists, despite criticism of not doing enough to tackle the city's high crime rate and urban decay.

14

Japan

Former prime minister (1998-2000) Keizo Obuchi dies.

15

Canada

Federal by-election in Newfoundland's St. John's West constituency. Won this by-election, Hearn, Loyola - Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, 35,5% ahead of Malone, Greg - New Democratic Party, 34.3 %. Sparrow, Anthony G. - Liberal Party of Canada, 25.0 % ; Hall, Frank - Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, 4.1% and White, E. Sailor - No Affiliation, 1.0 %.

16

Dominican Republic

Presidential election. Results : Hipólito Mejía and Milagros Ortiz Bosch se became President and Vice-President of the Dominican Republic for forthcoming legislature starting on next August 16 and will end in 2004. According to the votes none of the candidates managed to reach the 50% imposed by the Constitution to take over. Mejía and Ortiz Bosch from the Partido Revulucionário Dominicano won 49,87% of the votes; whereas Medina and Romero, from the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana came right behind with 24,94% of the votes and the Partido Reformista Social Cristiano of former President Joaquin Ballaguer won 24,60% of the votes. According to resolution 038/2000, the 7 judges of the commissional organization will demand that duplicates of the election certificates be sent to President Ramón Alburquerque of the Senate, in order to allow him as President of the National Assembly, the proclamation of the new legates of the Nation.

19

South Korea

Lee Hun Jai

Prime Minister Park Tae Joon resigns. Finance Minister Lee Hun Jai becomes acting prime minister.

20

Taiwan

Chen Shui-bian takes office as president. Annette Lü Hsiulien as vice-president.

20

Taiwan

Tang Fei named prime minister. Former minister of Defence. Mr. Fei is member of the Kuo-min-tang, the party which has just lost the presidency.