LETTER N° 50

From 10 to 16 of December

10 Romania		Presidential runoff election. Results : In the presidential election runoff, Ion Iliescu wins 66.8% of the vote and Corneliu Vadim Tudor 33.2%.
10 United States		Former veterans administrator (1986-89) Thomas K. Turnage dies.
10 Russia		Local administration elections in Khabarovsk Territory, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kostroma and Voronezh Regions. Results : not available
10 Russia (Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia)		Vasilii Neshchadimov, was leading led in this by-election for a State Duma deputy to replace Boris Berezovskii, who resigned last July.
10 Ivory Coast		Parliamentary elections. Results : he FPI (Ivorian Popular Front), the party of President Laurent Gbagbo, gained parliamentary seats in the 225-seat national assembly from 13 to 91.The Ivory Coast Democratic Party (PDCI) won 70. A number of small parties won 16 seats in total. By elections are expected at a later date in 29 constituencies of Northern Cote D'Ivoire(mainly Muslim), the main area of support for the the Rally of Republicans (RDR).
10 Moldova (Transdniester)		Parliamentary elections.The 43 seats in the re-organized, new unicameral parliament was contested by over 2 hundred candidates. Results : not available yet. Turnout was of 43.8 percent.
11 Finland		Former prime minister (1964-66) Johannes Virolainen dies.
11 Trinidad and Tobago		General elections. Results : In parliamentary elections, the United National Congress of Prime Minister Basdeo Panday wins 19 of 36 seats, the People's National Movement 16, and the National Alliance for Reconstruction 1.
11 - 20 Sudan		Presidential and parliamentary elections. 11 of December for the start of the elections and 20 of December for the closure, results to be announced on 24 December.
12 Kenya		National holiday : Independence Day (12 December 1963, from UK) In the 1920s, Africans began to protest their inferior status. Protest reached a peak between 1952 and 1956 with the so-called Mau Mau Emergency, a complex armed revolt led by the Kikuyu, which was in part a rebellion against British rule and in part an attempt to reestablish traditional land rights and ways of governance. The British declared a state of emergency and imprisoned many of the colony's nationalist leaders, including Jomo Kenyatta. After the revolt, Britain increased African representation in the colony's legislative council until, in 1961, there was an African majority. On Dec. 12, 1963, Kenya (including both the colony and the protectorate) became independent. In 1964 the country became a republic, with Kenyatta as president.
12 Bahrain		National holiday : National Day (16 December 1971) During the 3d millennium B.C., Bahrain (known in Sumerian as Dilmun) was already an important trade center, functioning as a transshipment point between Arabia and India. In 15 August 1971, after Britain withdrew from the Persian Gulf area, Bahrain became independent. Bahrain was a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 1981, along with neighboring Persian Gulf countries, and it is also a member of the United Nations and the Arab League.
14 UNHCR		UNHCR events and initiatives to mark its 50th Anniversary, including the campaign, the Refugee Education Trust and a gallery of prominent refugees. See the special website at http://www.unhcr-50.org/
14/15 NATO		NATO foreign ministers meet with surfeit of issues Taxing issues include ESDI, Star Wars and expansion. Allied foreign ministers come to Brussels for their six-monthly meetings at NATO headquarters. At stake for EU-NATO working groups, the definition of arrangements between NATO and the European Union, which would allow NATO to support EU-led crisis management operations with assets and capabilities in circumstances where the Alliance as a whole is not engaged.
15 Brazil (MERCOSUR)		MERCOSUR summit in Florianopolis. This trade union, the third most important one in the world is constituted by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
15 Ecuador		Finance Minister Dr. Luis Yturralde resigns.
15 Bosnia and Hercegovina		Bosnia and Hercegovina: Mirko Sarovic is sworn in as president of the Republika Srpska.