Portal:Politics/News/Archive

May 2006

May 21

• Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006: Initial reports suggest that the referendum has passed the required turnout and approval thresholds and that the Republic of Montenegro will leave the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. (BBC)

May 20

• In Louisiana, United States, Ray Nagin is re-elected Mayor of New Orleans.(BBC)
• Campaigning in Montenegro's referendum on independence ends at midnight local time, with voting scheduled to begin the following morning. (B92) A final poll shows the independence forces with 56% support, slightly above the internationally imposed threshold of 55%. (EUObserver)
• The Iraqi National Assembly votes in a new Iraqi government, leaving the ministries of Defense, National Security and Interior in temporary hands. (BBC)

May 19

• The Canadian National Post reports that a new law passed by the Iranian parliament obliges the country's non-Muslim religious minorities to wear distinctive markings: yellow ribbons for Jews, red for Christians and blue for Zoroastrians. (National Post) (UPI) (Ynet) (Jerusalem Post) According to the Associated Press, the report by National Post, quoting "Iranian expatriates living in Canada," has been denied by the Iranian legislators including the Jewish lawmaker Morris Motamed who told the AP: "Such a plan has never been proposed or discussed in parliament. Such news, which appeared abroad, is an insult to religious minorities here."' [1]
• The United States Senate has voted on an amendment to an immigration reform bill which would "... declare English as the national language of the United States", giving English an increased de jure capacity (in addition to a de facto one) as the official language within the country. The bill, S. 2611, has yet to be voted on in the Senate. (AP via Forbes) (CBS) (U.S. Senate)
• The United Nations Committee Against Torture tells the United States it should close any secret prisons abroad and the Guantánamo Bay facility in Cuba, saying they violate international law. It also calls for the US not to use interrogation techniques that amount to torture and to stop the practice of "extraordinary renditions". (Reuters) (Muslim News)
• Fijian opposition (Labour) led by Mahendra Chaudhry decides to join Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's United Fiji Party to form a multi-party multi-ethnic cabinet. (BBC)

May 18

• Nepali legislators vote unanimously to strip the king (Currently Gyanendra) of his powers, effectively turning the Hindu kingdom into a secular constitutional monarchy. (CBC)
• Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase of Fiji swears in for a second term after winning the 2006 general elections. (BBC)
• White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is unwilling to either confirm or deny U.S. financial and logistical support for the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism in Somalia. Previously, such accusations were denied. The current Prime Minister of Somalia, Ali Mohamed Gedi, criticized U.S. support for "criminals." (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The European Parliament committee examining the claims of para-legal deportations of individuals for torture-based questioning, known as "extraordinary renditions", has reported that it has CIA confirmation that between 30 and 50 individuals underwent such deportations to seven "black sites" in Asia, Europe and Africa. Those in Europe have reportedly been closed down following the public outcry, but there is still one such site operating in a North African country. (EU Observer) (UPI) (Reuters)
• New Italian prime minister Romano Prodi pledges to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq and calls the Iraq war a "grave mistake that has not solved but increased the problem of security". (Guardian) (Al Jazeera)

May 17

• Incumbent Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase of Fiji claims victory in the 2006 general elections. (BBC)
• A gunman opens fire at the Turkish Council of State, the top court in Ankara, while the court was in session, injuring four judges, and killing one - Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin. The shooting represents a rise in tensions between the secular apparatus of state and supporters of Islamic fundamentalism. (BBC)

May 16

• Darfur conflict: The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to initiate the process which would lead to a UN peacekeeping force relieving the beleaguered African Union peacekeepers in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. The Government of Sudan opposes the move. (BBC), (VoA)
• Chadian Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor accuses the Government of Sudan of facilitating a new alliance between the Mahamat Nour's UFDC and the defected troops of Mahamat Nouri against the Déby administration. Neither group has confirmed or denied the merger. (CNN)
• Italian centre-left leader Romano Prodi is given the mandate to form a new government by President Giorgio Napolitano. Prodi is supposed to present his list of ministers on May 17. (BBC)

May 15

• United States President George W. Bush gives a speech proposing major immigration reform in the United States. (Washington Post)
• The United States State Department announces it will re-establish diplomatic ties with Libya and remove it from its list of states that sponsor terrorism. (CNN)
• Giorgio Napolitano is sworn in as President of the Italian Republic, following his election held in May 10. (BBC)
• Makoto Koga, a political faction leader within the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and former secretary general, proposes that Yasukuni Shrine set up a separate shrine for the 14 Class-A war criminals enshrined there. (Asahi Shimbun) Junichiro Koizumi is poised to become the first Prime Minister of Japan to make a speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress in June. (Asahi Shimbun)

May 14

• Ahmat Mahamat Bachir, the president of the Chadian Independent National Election Commission, announces that incumbent President of Chad Idriss Déby won the 2006 Chadian presidential election held on May 3 with 77.5 percent of the vote. The official turnout was 61 percent, though international observers estimated turnout at 4–10 percent. (Al Jazeera)
• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, signs a petition in support of vivisection and condemns the acts of animal-rights extremists. (BBC)

May 13

• The International Committee of the Red Cross criticizes the United States for denying access to detainees in violation of the Geneva Convention. The US admits holding detainees secretly but claims they do not fall under that convention. (ABC Australia) (Xinhua)
• FUC spokesman Albissaty Saleh Allazam announces that none of the eight organizational members that make up the Chadian rebel alliance will end attacks on the Déby administration despite the recent peace deal between ARFWS and the Government of Sudan. (CNN)
• George Seitz, a Labor Party Member of the state Legislative Assembly in Victoria, Australia, is accused of running an elaborate branch stacking operation to manipulate results in state and federal elections and pre-selections. (The Age)

May 12

• Yoweri Museveni takes his oath of office for a third consecutive term as President of Uganda.
• The U.S. FBI raids the home of Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, outgoing number three man at the CIA, in an investigation into political corruption, including the use of prostitutes and bribery in connection with lobbyist Brent Wilkes, revealed to be the "no. 1 unindicted co-conspirator" in the Randy "Duke" Cunningham scandal. (Bloomberg.com)

May 11

• The United States National Security Agency is reported to operate "the largest database ever assembled in the world", containing a record of all calls (domestic and international) placed through AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. Qwest Communications refused to provide customer records, citing the need for a warrant. (USA Today)
• Ernie Fletcher, Republican governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky, is indicted on three misdemeanor counts of conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination for hiring, promoting, demoting and firing state employees based on political loyalties.(Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Results for the state election held in Tamil Nadu, India, on May 8 were announced and the DMK and its allies have captured the power. And the AIADMK becoming a stronger opposition in the history of Tamil Nadu.

May 10

• The Federal Open Market Committee of the United States' central bank, the Federal Reserve, decides upon an increase in the Federal Funds Rate by 25 basis points to 5.00%.(Fed)

May 9

• The Estonian parliament ratifies the European constitution, making Estonia the fifteenth EU country to do so. (EU Observer)
• Lifetime Senator Giorgio Napolitano is elected as the new President of the Italian Republic after four ballots. (BBC)

May 8

• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad writes to United States President George W. Bush. This marks the first time in 27 years that an Iranian President has written to a U.S. President. (CBC)
• The Italian parliament starts to vote in order to elect the successor of Carlo Azeglio Ciampi as President of the Italian Republic. Gianni Letta leads after the first round of balloting.(BBC)
• A Historic Election is about to take place in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Where two major parties AIADMK and DMK are contesting to capture the power.

May 7

• United States President George W. Bush announces his support for closing Guantanamo Bay detention center. (Reuters)
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens to pull Iran out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the United States and the EU 3 do not accept Iran's nuclear program. (CNN)

May 6

• Mahamat Nouri, until recently the Chadian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who has previously served as the Chadian Defense Minister, defects to Sudan and joins the United Front for Democratic Change rebels. (Reuters)
• The People's Action Party is returned to government in Singapore for the twelfth time, winning 82 out of 84 seats with the ruling party winning 66.6% of the total votes in the 2006 general election. (CNA)

May 5

• The government of Sudan signs an accord with the main Darfur rebel group, the Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan, reached through mediation in Abuja, Nigeria. (BBC)
• Porter Goss resigns as director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (NY Times) (Washington Post)
• Following significant Labour Party losses in the English local elections, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces the largest Cabinet reshuffle of his tenure. The changes include sacking embattled Home Secretary Charles Clarke, the demotion of long-serving Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, and the stripping from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott of his departmental portfolio. (BBC)(BBC)

May 4

• Manasseh Sogavare is elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, following Snyder Rini's brief period in office. Sogavare was previously prime minister from 2000 to 2001. (ABC)
• In Israel, a new Cabinet under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is sworn in. (BBC)
• Shahrir Abdul Samad resigns as chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club in the Parliament of Malaysia, after a motion to refer a Member of Parliament implicated in a corruption scandal to the Dewan Rakyat House Rights and Privileges Committee failed. (The Sun)
• British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party suffers one of its worst electoral defeats, losing more than 200 councillors in the 2006 UK local elections, and coming in third place in vote totals, behind both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. (Reuters), (BBC)

May 3

• Nepal Civil War: The Nepalese cabinet declares a cease-fire with Maoist rebels and announces that they will no longer consider them a terrorist group. The government urges the rebels to open peace talks. (BBC) (Reuters)
• In Chad, opposition parties boycott the 2006 presidential election and voter turnout is "extremely low". Results are not due for another 10 days, but President Idriss Deby is expected to win. (BBC)

May 2

• Nepal's new cabinet is unveiled. (New York Times)
• Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi officially hands in his resignation to President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Berlusconi was defeated by Romano Prodi in the April 9-10 elections, but Ciampi has asked him to remain in office, "for the handling of current affairs". (BBC) (Corriere)
• Newly elected President Evo Morales orders the nationalization of Bolivia's gas industry. This process is a result of his plan to nationalize major industries, he said in his election campaign. Further nationalizations are planned in forestry and mining. (BBC)

May 1

• King Gyanendra of Nepal swears in Girija Prasad Koirala as the new Prime Minister of Nepal. Baburam Bhattarai of the CPN(M) which controls two thirds of the country, states that his party will respect the results of an election to a constituent assembly, so long as these are "free and fair". (BBC)
• President of Chad Idriss Déby refuses to delay upcoming presidential elections despite pressure from U.S. diplomat Donald Yamamoto, high ranking Chadian Christian officials, and the head of the Chadian human rights league. However, he announced the Chadian government is negotiating with the United Front for Democratic Change rebel group to avoid violence. (VOA)
• Spain, Portugal, Finland and Greece join the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Sweden in allowing workers from the ten countries which joined the European Union two years ago free access to their labour markets. (BBC)
• Puerto Rico budget crisis: The government of Puerto Rico is partially shut down, including public schools. More than 90,000 employees of the public sector are put in license without salary. Their salary will not be paid until further notice, but they will remain employed whether they present themselves to work or not. If they present themselves to work it will be on a voluntary basis without retroactive payment. (Reuters)
• Immigrant workers and their supporters across the United States stay home from work or school and abstain from commerce during the 2006 Immigration Policy Boycott in the United States, also called the "Great American Boycott" or "Day Without Immigrants", a protest against the enforcement of immigration law. Demonstrations are planned nationwide. In Latin America, a one-day boycott of American products called the "Nothing Gringo Boycott" is planned in conjunction with U.S. events. (Guardian) (CNN) (SFGate)