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18 June NATO
A ceremony took place in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to mark the final transfer of command for security operations from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to Afghan national security and military forces.
17 June Brazil
Widespread demonstrations, involving an estimated 250,000 people, took place in major cities in protest at perceived economic and social inequalities in the country. The social unrest began initially in São Paulo on 11 June, in response to an increase in bus fares, but spread to other cities, particularly following a violent police response. As well as the rise in transport costs, demonstrators were protesting against poor public services, high levels of corruption, and the cost of the Confederations Cup international football tournament currently being held in Brazil.
17 June Czech Republic
The Government of Petr Nečas resigned, before being reappointed in an acting capacity by President Miloš Zeman, as attempts to reconstitute a ruling coalition commenced. The resignation of Nečas followed the arrest of his Chief of Staff and several other senior officials on charges of having abused the state security apparatus, allegedly to spy on several people, including the Prime Minister’s estranged wife, and of receiving bribes. In the event that an attempt to form a new Government was rejected by the legislature on three occasions, early elections to the lower chamber of parliament would be required.
14 June Iran
Hassan Rouhani was elected as President at the first round of voting. According to official results published by the Ministry of the Interior, Rouhani—whose candidacy had been endorsed by former Presidents Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Muhammad Khatami—secured 50.7% of the total votes cast. His closest rival, the Mayor of Tehran, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, won 16.6% of the vote, while the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, took 11.4%. Three other candidates also contested the election: Mohsen Rezai won 10.6% of the vote, Ali Akbar Velayati 6.2% and Muhammad Gharazi 1.2%. Turn-out was recorded at 72.2%. Rouhani was expected to be sworn into office on 3 August 2013, upon the expiry of the second term of the incumbent President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
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5 June Equatorial Guinea
The Constitutional Court announced the ratification of the results of the legislative elections held on 26 May. The ruling Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial (PDGE) was confirmed to have won 99 of the 100 seats in the House of Representatives; the remaining seat was taken by the Convergencia para la Democracia Social (CPDS). The PDGE also secured a comprehensive majority in the newly created Senate, winning 54 of the 55 directly elected seats. The CPDS again took one seat. A further 15 senators were to be appointed by the President of the Republic.
5 June Pakistan
Mohammad Nawaz Sharif was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, having secured 244 out of 317 votes in a National Assembly poll. Nawaz Sharif served in the post on two previous occasions in the 1990s. The appointment was widely viewed as a significant advance for democracy in Pakistan, as it completed the first democratic transfer of power between two civilian governments in the country’s history. In the legislative elections, which were held on 11 May 2013, Nawaz Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)—PML (N), won a convincing victory. The outgoing ruling party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), suffered heavy losses, while the arrival as a political force of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, was confirmed. By early June, with provisional results declared in 266 out of 272 elective seats, the PML (N) had secured 126 seats in the federal legislature, the PPP had 33 seats, the PTI had won 28 seats and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had 18 seats.
13 May The Philippines
Mid-term national and local elections were held to contest 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate, the membership of the House of Representatives, gubernatorial, mayoral and council positions. The elections, which were marred by technical faults in the electronic vote counting system, consolidated the position of President Benigno Aquino III, who was elected in 2010 following a campaign pledging to combat corruption and poverty and introduce good governance. Unofficial results indicated that Aquino would secure a majority in both chambers of Congress, which would enable him successfully to implement his ambitious reform agenda before the end of his term of office in 2016. A general election also took place simultaneously in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
28 April Italy
A new Government was sworn in after weeks of deliberations following inconclusive legislative elections held in February. President Giorgio Napolitano, who was elected to an unprecedented second term of office on 20 April by a simple majority of members of Parliament and regional representatives, asked Enrico Letta, the deputy leader of the Partito Democratico, to form a broad coalition government. The so-called ‘grand coalition’, with Letta as Prime Minister, comprised the Partito Democratico, the Popolo della Libertà, Unione di Centro, Scelta Civica, Radicali Italiani and independent experts, and was notable for the number of women appointed, including Emma Bonino as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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