LETTER N° 31

From 30 of July to 05 of August

30 Venezuela		Venezuela, Presidential, gubernatorial, and mayoral elections. Results presidential : Hugo Rafael Chávez Frias 3.321.963 - (59,2%) ; Arias Cárdenas 2.116.317 - (37,8%) and Claudio Fermín 160.943 - (2,8%). Results gubernatorial : Polo Patriótico obtuvo 99 de 165 diputados. Results mayoral : Alfredo Peña 477.562 - (66,036%) ; Enrique Ochoa Antich 148.402 - (20,520%) ; Rosana Ordoñez 97.302 - (12,625%) and Lorenzo Tovar 5.912 - (0,817%).
30 Vanuatu		Independence Day (30 July 1980 from France and UK). During World War II the islands served as bases for Allied forces in the Pacific theater. In 1980 they became independent as Vanuatu, and a secession movement on Espiritu Santo was put down with aid from Papua New Guinea and Britain.
31/04 United States		The Republican National Convention took place in Philadelphia, Pa. The congressists elected George Bush, Jr. as their candidate to run for presidential election.
31 Israel		Parliament voted 50-50, with eight abstentions, on a no-confidence motion brought by the main opposition Likud party. The result fell short of the 61 votes required in the 120-member Knesset to bring down the year-old government. A second motion by a small right-wing party, Yisrael Beiteinu, also failed, in a 53-48 vote with seven abstentions, to topple Barak.
31 Israel		Likud MK Moshe Katsav was elected the country's eighth president by the Knesset yesterday, defeating Minister of Regional Cooperation Shimon Peres by a vote of 63 to 57 in a second ballot. President starting from August, 1.
01 Benin		National Day (Independence : 1 August 1960, from France). On Aug. 1, 1960, Dahomey became fully independent. The country's first president was Hubert Maga, whose main support came from Parakou and the north and who was allied with Sourou Migan Apithy, a politician from Porto-Novo.
01 Switzerland		Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation (1 August 1291). The expanding feudal houses, notably Zähringen and Kyburg, were supplanted (13th cent.) by the houses of Habsburg and of Savoy. Habsburg encroachments on the privileges of the three mountainous localities of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden resulted in the conclusion (1291) of a defensive league among them. The legendary hero of this event is William Tell.
02 Israel		Foreign Minister David Levy submitted his resignation.
02 Czech Republic		President Vaclav Havel has announced the date of the fall Senate and regional elections, which are to take place on November 12th. The elections will replace one-third of the senators in the Upper Chamber and fill posts in 13 newly established regions throughout the country.
04 Burkina Faso		Anniversary of the Revolution (4 August 1983). The CNR (Conseil National de la Révolution)(National Council of the revolution) chooses a progressist type of régime. It includes a hundred members more or less anonymous, and is headed by 4 leaders also named " historical chiefs of the Revolution" : Capitain Thomas Sankara, Capitain Blaise Compaoré, Commander Jean-Baptiste Lingani and Capitain Henri Zongo.
04 Cook Islands		Constitution Day (4 August 1965). The Cook Islands achieved internal self-government in 1965 and are free to unilaterally declare their complete independence.
04 Hungary		Ferenc Mádl takes office as president.
04 Suriname		Ronald Venetiaan is elected president with 37 votes in the 51-member National Assembly. He takes office August 12.