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Rafic Hariri

Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري;   1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005), also known as Rafiq al-Hariri, was a Lebanese businessman and politician, who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until he resigned on October 20, 2004, before his assassination in 2005.

Hariri headed five cabinets during his tenure. He was widely credited for his role in constructing the Taif Agreement that ended the 15-year Lebanese Civil War. He also played a huge role in reconstructing the Lebanese capital, Beirut. He was the first post-civil war prime minister and the most influential and wealthiest Lebanese politician until his assassination. During Hariri's first term as prime minister, tensions between Israel and Lebanon increased, as a result of Qana massacre. In 2000, when he became prime minister for second time, the biggest achievement during his time as prime minister was the Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, ending an 18-year old occupation. Meanwhile relations with Syrian President Bashar increased.

Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005 by a suicide truck bomb in Beirut. Four Hezbollah members were indicted for the assassination and are being tried in absentia by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but others have linked the assassination to the Syrian government. The outcome of a 15-year investigation led to the guilty verdict of multiple people in Hezbollah's party taking part; however, the only one left alive would be Salim Ayyash, a well-connected, mid-level operative in Hezbollah. The assassination was a catalyst for dramatic political change in Lebanon. The massive protests of the Cedar Revolution helped achieve the withdrawal of Syrian troops and security forces from Lebanon and a change in government.

At one point, Hariri was one of the world's 100 wealthiest men and the fourth-richest politician.

Early life and education
Hariri was born on 1 November 1944 to a modest Sunni Muslim family in the Lebanese port city of Sidon. He had two siblings (brother Shafic and sister Bahia). He attended elementary and secondary school in Sidon, and graduated in business administration from Beirut Arab University.

Business career
In 1965, Hariri went to Saudi Arabia to work. There, he taught for a short period of time before shifting to the construction industry. In 1978, he gained Saudi Arabian citizenship, in addition to his Lebanese citizenship.

In 1969, Hariri established Ciconest, a small subcontracting firm, which soon went out of business. He then went in business with the French construction firm Oger for the construction of a hotel in Ta’if, Saudi Arabia, the timely construction of which earned praise from King Khaled. Hariri took over Oger, forming Saudi Oger, which became the main construction firm used by the Saudi Royal family for all their important developments. As a result, a few years after his first contract with King Khaled, Hariri had become a multi-billionaire.

Having accumulated his wealth, Hariri started a number of philanthropic projects, including the building of educational facilities in Lebanon. His first initiative in Lebanon was the Islamic Association for Culture and Education, which he founded in 1979. The association was later renamed the Hariri Foundation. Hariri became progressively more embroiled in politics. His appeals to the United Nations and services as an emissary to the Saudi Royal family won him international recognition on the political stage for his humanitarian efforts.

In 1982, Hariri donated $12 million to Lebanese victims of the 1978 South Lebanon conflict and helped clean up Beirut's streets with his company's money and contributed to early reconstruction efforts during lulls in the Lebanon war. Said to have heavily financed opposing militias during the war, his former deputy Najah Wakim later accused him of helping to destroy downtown Beirut to rebuild it again and make billions of dollars in the process. After the conflict, he acted as an envoy of the Saudi royal family to Lebanon. He laid the groundwork that led to the 1989 Taif Accord, which Saudi Arabia organised to bring the warring factions together. Taif put an end to the civil war, building goodwill for Hariri politically. While acting as the Saudi envoy to Lebanon, he spent more time in Damascus than in Beirut where he ingratiated himself with the Assad regime; he had a new presidential palace built in Damascus as a gift to the Syrian dictator but Assad didn't use it personally.

Political career
Hariri returned to Lebanon in the early 1980s as a wealthy man and began to build a name for himself by making large donations and contributions to various groups in Lebanon. However, he continued to serve as a political advisor to Prince Bandar bin Sultan in 1983. He was implanted as the Saudis' strong man following the collapse of the PLO and the paucity of any viable Sunni leadership in the country as well as a response to the rising power of the Shiite militia Amal. As a former Saudi diplomatic representative, he played a significant role in constructing the 1990 Taif Agreement that ended Lebanon's sixteen-year civil war. In 1992, Hariri became the first post-civil war prime minister of Lebanon under president Elias Hrawi. In addition, he was the minister of finance. After the 1996 elections he also took on the role of minister of post and telecommunications. Hariri put the country back on the financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow reconstruction money as the country's debt grew to become the largest per capita in the world.

Between 1992 and 1996 the public debt grew from $3 billion to $9 billion. His first premiership lasted until 1998, and Hariri was replaced by Salim Hoss as prime minister. In fact, as a result of the power struggle between Hariri and newly elected president Émile Lahoud, he left office.

In October 2000, Hariri was again appointed prime minister, replacing Salim Hoss, and formed the cabinet. In September 2004, Hariri defended UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which called for "all remaining foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon." On 20 October 2004, his second term ended when he resigned from office. Omar Karami succeeded him as prime minister.

Economic policies
Hariri implemented an aggressive new economic policy. In 1992 inflation was running at 131% but such was the confidence in Hariri's leadership that within two years it had been reduced to 12%. Perhaps Hariri's most important creation in the beginning of his career was "Horizon 2000" the government's name for its new rejuvenation plan. A large component of "Horizon 2000" was Solidere, the privately owned construction company that was established to reconstruct post-war Lebanon. Solidere was owned by the government and private investors. Solidere was largely focused on redeveloping Beirut's downtown and turning it into a new urban center as quickly as possible as one aspect of the various infrastructure redevelopment plans that would be implemented by "Horizon 2000". Solidere was given powers of compulsory purchase, compensating in Solidere shares rather than cash, and was accused of harassment and underpaying former land owners. Another aspect of the decade-long plan was the privatization of major industries. Numerous contracts were awarded in important industries such as energy, telecommunications, electricity, airports and roads.

The last and perhaps most significant aspect of "Horizon 2000" was economic stimulus via foreign direct investment. Specifically, Hariri supported foreign firms and individuals taking an interest in Lebanon's developmental potential. Hariri simplified tax codes and provided tax breaks to foreign investors. Due to his previous successes in the private sector and the numerous resulting international connections, Hariri was able to garner a significant amount of low-interest loans from foreign investors. Hariri also pursued aggressive macroeconomic policy such as maintaining strict regulations on bank reserves and inter-bank interest rates to curb inflation and raise the value of the Lebanese pound relative to the dollar.

Hariri's economic policies were a remarkable success during his first year in office. From 1992 to 1993 there was a 6 percent increase in real national income, the capital base of commercial banks effectively doubled, the budgetary earnings hovered at around a billion dollars, and commercial banks' consolidated balance sheets increased about 25%. By 1998, however, real GDP growth was around 1%, a year later it would be −1%, national debt had skyrocketed 540% from two to eighteen billion dollars, Lebanon's economy was in a miserable state.

In 1996 it was estimated that 30% of Lebanon's population were living below the poverty line and that there were 500,000 Syrian labourers working illegally in the country.

Corruption in Lebanon
As result of the growing criticism and popular discontent with Hariri's policies, the government banned public demonstrations in 1994 and relied upon the Lebanese Army to enforce the decree. Supporters of Michel Aoun were also perpetually harassed and detained. In return for a relatively free hand in economic matters, Hariri cooperated with Syria's drive to consolidate its control over Lebanon. Under the guise of "regulating" the audiovisual media, the government placed control of all major television and radio stations in the hands of pro-Syrian elites, a process which began on 17 September 1996 when Information Minister Farid Makari ordered a ban on the broadcasting of news programs. This was followed eight days later by a government decree ordering the closure of Lebanon's 150 privately owned radio stations and 50 TV stations. Licenses were to be issued to Hariri's Future Television, the Christian-owned Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), Murr Television (MTV) owned by the brother of Interior Minister Michel Murr, and the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) being set up by Nabih Berri. The radio stations which were to be given licenses were Hariri's Orient Radio, Berri's NBN, and the Lebanese Forces’s Voice of Free Lebanon. It was estimated that the move would result in the loss of 5,000 jobs.

Hariri and Lebanon's political environment
Amid the political crisis brought on by the extension of President Émile Lahoud's term, Hariri resigned as Prime Minister, saying: "I have... submitted the resignation of the government, and I have declared that I will not be a candidate to head the (next) government."

During a BBC interview in 2001, Harīrī was asked by Tim Sebastian why he refused to hand over members of Hezbollah that were accused by America of being terrorists. He responded that Hezbollah were the ones protecting Lebanon against the Israeli occupation and called for implementation of passed United Nations resolutions against Israel. He was further accused of making the American coalition in the War on Terrorism worthless and asked if he was ready for the consequences of his refusal, reminding him that George W. Bush had said: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." He replied that he had hoped there would be no consequences, but would deal with them if they arrive. Hariri further said that he opposed the killing of all humans – Israeli, Palestinian, Syrian or Lebanese – and believed in dialogue as a solution. He further went on to say that Syria would have to stay in Lebanon for protection of Lebanon until they are no longer needed and Lebanon asks them to leave.

Opposition to Syrian occupation
Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a recent recruit of the anti-Syrian opposition, emboldened by popular anger and civic action now being called Lebanon's Cedar Revolution, alleged in the wake of the assassination that on 26 August 2004 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatened Hariri, saying " [ President of Lebanon ] Lahoud is me. ... If you and Chirac want me out of Lebanon, I will break Lebanon." He was quoted as saying "When I heard him telling us those words, I knew that it was his condemnation of death." This meeting between Hariri and Assad, which had been on 26 August 2004, lasted for just fifteen minutes.

Corruption
Hariri was accused of corruption that plagued Lebanon during the Syrian occupation. Among the allegations made against him was that his wealth grew from less than $1 billion when he was appointed prime minister in 1992, to over $16 billion when he died. The Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut's Central District (French: Société Libanaise pour le Développement et la Reconstruction du Centre-ville de Beyrouth), more commonly known by the French-derived acronym "Solidere", expropriated most property in the central business district of Beirut, compensating each owner with shares in the company which were worth as little as 15% of the property's value. As the primary shareholder of the company, Hariri and his business associates profited immensely from this project. Moreover, it was reported in November 1996 that $26 million had been embezzled from the Ministry of Finance, which Hariri headed in addition to being prime minister during his first two terms in office.

Hariri and his protégés were not the only beneficiaries of this spending spree. To secure support from militia chieftains and pro-Syrian ideologues that Damascus had installed in the government, Hariri allowed kickbacks from public spending to enrich all major government figures. Contracts for the import of petroleum were awarded to the two sons of President Elias Hrawi.

Personal life
Hariri married twice. He had six children. In 1965, he married an Iraqi woman, Nidal Bustani, who is the mother of his three sons; Bahaa (born 1967), who is a businessman, Saad, who succeeded his father as leader of the future movement, and Houssam—who died in a traffic accident in the US in the late 1980s. They divorced. He married his second spouse, Nazik Audi, in 1976 and she is the mother of three of Hariri's children: Ayman, Fahd and Hind.

From 1982 until his death, Hariri owned 2–8a Rutland Gate, a large house in London's Knightsbridge district. The house was gifted to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, after Hariri's assassination.

Assassination
On 14 February 2005, Hariri was killed when explosives equivalent to around 1800 kg of TNT concealed inside a parked Mitsubishi van were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel in Beirut. 23 people, including Hariri himself, were killed. Among the dead were several of Hariri's bodyguards and his friend and former Minister of the Economy Bassel Fleihan. Hariri was buried along with his bodyguards, who died in the bombing, in a location near Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.

A 2006 report by Serge Brammertz indicated that DNA evidence collected from the crime scene suggests that the assassination might be the act of a young male suicide bomber.

In its first two reports in 2014, the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission indicated that the Syrian government may be linked to the assassination. Lawyers tasked with prosecuting those responsible for the 2005 bombing said they had received evidence linking Bashar Assad's phone to the case. In its tenth report, the UNIIIC concluded "that a network of individuals acted in concert to carry out the assassination of Rafiq Hariri."

A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news investigation claimed that the special UN investigation team had found evidence for the responsibility of Hezbollah in the assassination. A UN-backed tribunal issued four arrest warrants to members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah blamed the assassination on Israel. Alleged Hezbollah supporters Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra have been indicted for the assassination and were tried in absentia by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Aftermath
Hariri was well regarded among international leaders, for example, he was a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac was one of the first foreign dignitaries to offer condolences to Hariri's widow in person at her home in Beirut. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was also created at his instigation. Syria was initially accused of the assassination, which led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon following widespread protests. Major General Jamil Al Sayyed, then head of Lebanese General Security, Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan, Major General Ali Hajj and Brigadier General Raymond Azar were all arrested in August 2005 at the request of German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, who was carrying out the UN investigation about the assassination. Sayyed was one of the persons who decided to assassinate Rafik Hariri according to a leaked draft version of the Mehlis report along with other Syrian high-rank intelligence and security officers and officials, namely Assef Shawkat, Maher Assad, Hassan Khalil and Bahjat Suleyman. However, later reports about the assassination did not repeat the allegations against Jamil Al Sayyed and other three Lebanese generals. Four Lebanese generals were held in Roumieh prison, northeast of Beirut from 2005 to 2009. They were released from the prison due to lack of evidence in 2009.

Following Hariri's death, there were several other bombings and assassinations against minor anti-Syrian figures. These included Samir Kassir, George Hawi, Gebran Tueni, Pierre Amine Gemayel, Antoine Ghanem and Walid Eido. Assassination attempts were made on Elias Murr, May Chidiac, and Samir Shehade (who was investigating Hariri's death).

An indictment against alleged Hezbollah members Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra was issued and confirmed by the Pre-Trial Judge of the United Nations special tribunal (see Special Tribunal for Lebanon) in 2011. In February 2014, the case against Hassan Habib Merhi was joined with the Ayyash et al. case. Proceedings against the accused Mustafa Badreddine were terminated in July 2016 following credible reports of his death. Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra currently remain on trial in absentia.

Hezbollah accused Israel of the assassination of Hariri. According to Hezbollah officials, the assassination of Hariri was planned by the Mossad as a means of expelling the Syrian army from Lebanon. In August 2010, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah presented evidence, consisting of intercepted Israeli spy-drone video footage, which he said implicated Israel in the assassination of Hariri. After an altercation between male Tribunal staff and women at a gynecology clinic in October 2010, Hezbollah demanded that the Lebanese government stop all cooperation with the Special Tribunal, claiming the tribunal to be an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty by western governments. On 1 November 2010, a report was leaked by Al Akhbar, a local secular, leftist newspaper, stating that Hezbollah drafted plans for a quick takeover of the country in the case an indictment against its members is issued by the UN Special Tribunal. The report states that Hezbollah conducted a simulation of the plan on 28 October, immediately following a speech by its secretary general.

On the other side, it was revealed by leaked US embassy cables that then Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate director Omar Suleiman reported that Syria "desperately" wanted to stop the investigation of the Tribunal.

Legacy
On 22 June 2005, Beirut International Airport was renamed Rafic Hariri International Airport. Additionally, Beirut General University hospital was renamed Rafiq Hariri Hospital. Rafic Hariri was succeeded by his son Saad Hariri as leader of the Future Party.

title: Rafic Hariri


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Pakalitha Mosisili

Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili (born 14 March 1945) is a former Mosotho politician who was the fourth prime minister of Lesotho from May 1998 to June 2012 and again from March 2015 to June 2017. He led the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) to a near-total victory in the 1998 election, and under his leadership the party also won majorities in the 2002 and 2007 elections. While serving as Prime Minister, Mosisili was also Minister of Defence.

Following the snap election held on 28 February 2015, he formed and led a coalition government. He was sworn in on 17 March 2015.

Early life and career
Mosisili was born at Waterfall in Qacha's Nek on March 14, 1945. He was educated at the Eagle's Peak High School, where he attained his Cambridge Overseas School Certificate in 1965. He did his primary schooling at Tebellong, Souru and Tsoelike and then pursued his higher education at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland and graduated with a BA in Education. Upon graduation in July 1970, he was imprisoned because of his political activism and was released the next year in November. He was a member of the Basotho Congress Party.

In 1976, he attained his MA from the University of Wisconsin in the United States and then completed a BA honours program via distance education from the University of South Africa. In 1982, he graduated from Simon Fraser University in Canada with a Master of Education degree.

Political career
In 1993, Mosisili was elected to parliament from the Qacha's Nek Constituency and became Minister of Education. On April 14, 1994, he was briefly kidnapped along with three other ministers by soldiers; a fifth minister, Deputy Prime Minister Selometsi Baholo, was killed in this incident. Mosisili was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in late January 1995, while remaining Minister of Education; on July 20, 1995, he was named Minister of Home Affairs and Local Government instead, while remaining Deputy Prime Minister. A new ruling party, the LCD, was formed in 1997 under the leadership of Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle as a split from the Basutoland Congress Party. On February 21, 1998, Mosisili was elected leader of the LCD after Mokhehle chose to step down due to poor health.

After his party's victory in 1998 there were accusations of vote rigging and mass protests from the opposition parties, which culminated with their occupation of the grounds to the palace. In the ensuing debacle which saw the army, police and king complicit in an attempt to unseat his government, Mosisili had to resort to asking the regional grouping, Southern African Development Community (SADC), for an intervention to stem the imminent coup. To this end, joint force, consisting of South African and (later) Botswana troops, entered Lesotho on September 22, 1998, to put down the mutiny and restore the democratically elected government.

New elections were eventually held in May 2002, which his party won, this after a major split led by his former deputy, Kelebone Maope, and Shakhane Mokhehle, the brother of the late founder of his party. On this occasion, Mosisili himself was elected to a seat from the Tsoelike constituency, receiving 79.2% of the vote; in his previous constituency, Qacha's Nek, Pontso Sekatle was the LCD candidate.

In October 2006, Tom Thabane left the LCD and formed a new party, the All Basotho Convention (ABC), and 17 other members of parliament joined him; this left the LCD with a narrow majority of 61 out of 120 seats. On Mosisili's advice, King Letsie III dissolved parliament on November 24, 2006, and a new election was scheduled for February 17, 2007; they had previously been expected in April or May. The LCD won this election, taking 61 seats; the National Independent Party, allied with the LCD, won an additional 21 seats.

Whilst attending a funeral in his home district of Qacha's Nek in late 2006, Mosisili gave a speech which quoted a Basotho idiom, "Se sa feleng sea hlola", meaning "anything that does not finish/end is not good". Some believed that he was referring to his term in office and his embattled political party.

Armed men attacked Mosisili's residence on April 22, 2009, apparently intending to kill him; three of the attackers, one of whom was reportedly a soldier, were killed by police, and Mosisili was unharmed. Six people appeared before a South African court in July 2009 on charges of helping in the attempt. The Lesotho Communications Minister described the attack as a plot by South African and Mozambican mercenaries to stage a coup in Lesotho.

Following the snap election held on 28 February 2015, he managed to form and lead a coalition government. Two years later, on 1 March 2017, he was defeated in a parliamentary vote of confidence, and an early election was expected to be held, although the opposition wanted Mosisili to step aside and allow Monyane Moleleki, Mosisili's former deputy turned rival, to take over. Mosisili then advised King Letsie III to dissolve Parliament, and the King did so on 7 March, despite an opposition effort to obstruct the move.

The election was held on 3 June 2017 and resulted in a victory for Tom Thabane and his party, the ABC, which won 48 seats against 30 for Mosisili's Democratic Congress. A government statement on 8 June said that Mosisili had submitted his resignation to King Letsie but would continue in a caretaker capacity. Thabane succeeded Mosisili as Prime Minister on 16 June.

In November 2018, Mosisili announced his retirement from politics. The Democratic Congress held its elective conference in January 2019 and Mathibeli Mokhothu was elected as his successor. Mokhothu had served as a government minister in Mosisili's last cabinet.

Personal life
He is married to Mathato Mosisili.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Pakalitha Mosisili


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Black Kettle

Black Kettle (Cheyenne: Mo'ohtavetoo'o) (c. 1803 – November 27, 1868) was a leader of the Southern Cheyenne during the American Indian Wars. Born to the Northern Só'taeo'o / Só'taétaneo'o band of the Northern Cheyenne in the Black Hills of present-day South Dakota, he later married into the Wotápio / Wutapai band (one mixed Cheyenne-Kiowa band with Lakota Sioux origin) of the Southern Cheyenne.

Black Kettle is often remembered as a peacemaker who accepted treaties with the U.S. government to protect his people. On November 27, 1868, while attempting to escape the Battle of Washita River with his wife, he was shot and killed by soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry.

Early life
Black Kettle was born around 1803 in South Dakota into the Cheyenne Nation. Little is known of Black Kettle's life prior to 1854, when he was made a chief of the Council of Forty-four, the central government of the Cheyenne tribe. The Council met regularly at the Sun Dance gatherings, where they affirmed unity.

After 1851, relations between the Cheyenne and the U.S. government were nominally conducted under the Treaty of Fort Laramie. Still, the U.S. government remained unwilling to control white expansion into the Great Plains, particularly after the Pike's Peak Gold Rush began in 1859. European Americans displaced the Cheyenne from their lands in violation of the treaty, and consumed important resources of water and game. Increasing competition eventually led to armed conflict between the groups.

Chief Black Kettle was a pragmatist who believed that U.S. military power and the number of immigrants were overwhelming and unable to be resisted. In 1861, he and the Arapaho surrendered to the commander of Fort Lyon under the Treaty of Fort Wise, believing he could gain protection for his people. The treaty was highly unfavorable to the Southern Cheyenne. Black Kettle visited Washington, D.C., where President Abraham Lincoln gave him a large American flag.

The Cheyenne led their bands to the Sand Creek reservation, which occupied a small corner of southeastern Colorado Territory about 40 miles from Fort Lyon. The land was not arable and was located far away from buffalo, their major source of meat. Many Cheyenne warriors, including the Dog Soldiers, did not accept the treaty and began to attack white settlers. Whether Black Kettle opposed these actions, tolerated them, or encouraged them remains controversial among historians.

Colorado War
By the summer of 1864, the situation had reached a boiling point. Southern Cheyenne hardliners, along with allied Kiowa and Arapaho bands, raided American settlements for livestock and supplies. Sometimes they took captives, generally only women and children, to adopt into their tribes as replacements for lost members. On June 11, 1864, indigenous people killed a family of settlers, an attack which the white people called the Hungate massacre after the family. Pro-war white people displayed the scalped bodies in Denver. Colorado governor John Evans believed tribal chiefs had ordered the attack and were intent on a full-scale war.

Evans issued a proclamation ordering all "Friendly Indians of the Plains" to report to military posts or be considered "hostile". He sought and gained from the War Department authorization to establish the Third Colorado Cavalry. Colonel John M. Chivington led the unit, composed predominantly of "100-daysers", who enlisted for limited 100-day terms specifically for fighting against the Cheyenne and Arapaho.

Black Kettle decided to accept Evans' offer and entered negotiations. On September 28, he concluded a peace settlement at Fort Weld outside Denver. The agreement assigned the Southern Cheyenne to the Sand Creek reservation and required them to report to Fort Lyon, formerly Fort Wise. Black Kettle believed the agreement would ensure the safety of his people. After he went to the reservation, the commanding officer at the fort was replaced by one who was an ally of Chivington.

Betrayal at Sand Creek
Ambitious, Chivington felt pressure from Governor Evans to make use of the Third Colorado Cavalry before their terms expired at the end of 1864. On November 28, Chivington arrived with 700 men at Fort Lyon. According to an eyewitness, John S. Smith: "[H]e stopped all persons from going on ahead of him. He stopped the mail, and would not allow any person to go on ahead of him at the time he was on his way from Denver city to Fort Lyon. He placed a guard around old Colonel Bent, the former agent there; he stopped a Mr. Hagues and many men who were on their way to Fort Lyon. He took the fort by surprise, and as soon as he got there he posted pickets all around the fort, and then left at 8 o'clock that night for this Indian camp."

At dawn on November 29, Chivington attacked the Sand Creek reservation; the event became known as the Sand Creek massacre. Most of the warriors were out hunting. Following Indian agent instructions, Black Kettle flew an American flag and a white flag from his tipi, but the signal was ignored. The 3rd Colorado Cavalry killed 163 Cheyenne by shooting or stabbing. They burned down the village encampment. Most of the victims were women and children. For months afterward, members of the militia displayed trophies in Denver of their battle, including body parts they had taken for souvenirs.

Aftermath
Black Kettle escaped the massacre and returned to rescue his severely injured wife, who suffered nine bullet and shrapnel wounds. He continued to counsel pacifism, believing that military resistance was doomed to fail. The majority of the Southern Cheyenne chiefs disagreed. Allied with the Comanche and Kiowa, they went to war against U.S. civilians and military forces.

Black Kettle said of that time: "Although wrongs have been done me, I live in hopes. I have not got two hearts.... I once thought that I was the only man that persevered to be the friend of the white man, but since they have come and cleaned out our lodges, horses, and everything else, it is hard for me to believe white men any more."

Black Kettle moved south and continued to negotiate with U.S. officials. He signed the Treaty of Little Arkansas River on October 14, 1865. By this document, the U.S. promised "perpetual peace" and lands in reparation for the Sand Creek massacre. However, its practical effect was to dispossess the Cheyenne yet again and require them to move to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Black Kettle's influence continued to wane. Roman Nose and his Dog Soldiers took a prevailing hard line and continued warfare.

Medicine Lodge Treaty
Black Kettle's dwindling band proclaimed their desire to live peacefully alongside European Americans. Black Kettle signed yet another treaty, the Medicine Lodge Treaty, on October 28, 1867. The Dog Soldiers continued their raids and ambushes across Kansas, Texas, and Colorado.

The relationship between the two groups is a subject of historical dispute. According to Little Rock, second-in-command of Black Kettle's village, most of the warriors came back to Black Kettle's camp after their attacks. White prisoners, including children, were held within his encampment. By this time Black Kettle's influence was waning, and it is unclear whether he could have stopped the younger warriors' actions.

Battle of Washita River
In response to the continued raids and massacres, General Philip Sheridan devised a plan of punitive reprisals. He planned to attack Cheyenne winter encampments, destroying both supplies and livestock, and killing any people who resisted. At dawn on the morning of November 27, 1868, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led his 7th Cavalry Regiment to attack Chief Black Kettle and his village along the Washita River in what is now western Oklahoma. Custer's troops killed more than 100 Native Americans, mostly Southern Cheyenne.

Death and legacy
While trying to cross the Washita River, Black Kettle and his wife were shot in the back and killed.

The Cheyenne have recognized Black Kettle as a peacemaker. Black Kettle National Grassland in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma and Hemphill County, Texas is named after him. Near the site of his death, in present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma, the Black Kettle Museum commemorates his legacy.

In popular culture
Black Kettle was a recurring character in the CBS family drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman for its first three seasons, played by Nick Ramus. Black Kettle plays a key role for the series in the pilot episode. Dr. Quinn saves Black Kettle's life by performing a tracheotomy and removing a bullet lodged in his neck. She later receives a Cheyenne name from Black Kettle meaning "Medicine Woman".

Black Kettle and the fate of his village are featured in Episode 4 of TNT miniseries Into the West. Black Kettle is portrayed by Wes Studi.

On ska band Five Iron Frenzy's Our Newest Album Ever!, the song "Banner Year" is about Black Kettle, how he was betrayed, and his eventual murder at the hands of Custer.

Deathcab for Cutie's 2022 album Asphalt Meadows references Black Kettle during the Sand Creek Massacre in the song/spoken word piece "Foxglove Through The Clearcut."

title: Black Kettle


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Allan Kemakeza

Allan Kemakeza (born 11 September 1950) was the prime minister of Solomon Islands from 2001 to 2006. He represented Savo/Russel Constituency in the National Parliament of Solomon Islands from 1989 to 2010 and was most recently Minister of Forestry December 2007 to August 2010. He served as Speaker of the National Parliament, from September 2010 to 2014.

Overview

Kemakeza was born on the island of Savo. He joined the police force in 1972 and served in various positions until he resigned in December 1988 in order to stand in the 1989 parliamentary election. He won a seat from Savo/Russel in that election, and in 1989, he was also appointed Minister for Police and Justice, serving in that position until 1990. From 1991 to 1993, he served as Minister for Housing and Government Services; he was re-elected in the May 1993 election and was Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 1993 to 1994. He was Minister for Forests, Environment & Conservation from 1995 to 1996. Re-elected to Parliament in the August 1997 election, he became Deputy Leader of the Opposition again in that year.

In June 2000, Kemakeza was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace under Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. In August 2001, Kemakeza was sacked from these positions by Sogavare following allegations of corruption. Further controversy surfaced when he received SI$850,000 as part of a program compensating individuals who lost property during the Civil War. Kemakeza denies the allegations of corruption.

His People's Alliance Party won 20 of 49 seats in the parliamentary election of 5 December 2001, becoming the largest party in parliament. He was elected as prime minister by Parliament on 17 December 2001 in the first round of voting, receiving 29 votes out of the 50 seats in parliament, and sworn in on 19 December 2001.

Before he became prime minister, there was much turmoil in Solomon Islands because of rivalry between militias from the various islands, which reached its height in June 2000, when a coup took place. Problems still continue today, but Kemakeza's government allowed the international community, including peacekeepers, to help solve the problems.

An Australian-led peace-keeping force named RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) is in place, based in Honiara. He has attracted some controversy through his 2005 visit to Japan's Yasukuni War Shrine, which honours Japanese WWII combatants and 14 convicted war criminals.

Kemakeza remained in office through a full four-year parliamentary term, a distinguishing feat in Solomon Islands politics; he survived three motions of no confidence during the term. At the end of the parliamentary term in December 2005, Parliament was dissolved and Kemakeza and his Cabinet served in a caretaker capacity until the next election, which was held on 5 April 2006. In this election, Kemakeza's People's Alliance Party lost more than 10 seats; Kemakeza himself was re-elected to his seat. Kemakeza soon announced his resignation as prime minister, but one of his allies, Deputy Prime Minister Snyder Rini, was elected to succeed him. Kemakeza was appointed leader of the governing coalition and it seemed that he would still have much power within the government. His term as prime minister was to end on 19 April, but he remained in office until the following day because of riots over Rini's controversial election. He became Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament on 24 April 2006, having been elected with 25 votes from the members of the 50-seat Parliament.

In early November 2007, Kemakaza was convicted of demanding money with menace, intimidation and larceny in connection with a raid that he allegedly ordered in May 2002 on a law firm, Sol Law, in Honiara. The raid was allegedly an attempt to drive the firm's Australian lawyers, who Kemakeza thought held too much influence over national financial institutions, out of Solomon Islands. He faced a potential prison sentence as a result of the conviction. After the conviction, it was reported that he discussed a deal with Sogavare's government for a pardon. The government claimed that Kemakeza had left the opposition and was named as the chairman of the board of the Solomon Islands Water Authority, but Kemakeza denied this and said that he was not making a deal. In December, Kemakeza, having previously been neutral, backed the opposition led by Fred Fono; soon afterward, Sogavare's government was defeated in a no-confidence vote. Kemakeza eventually served a five-month prison sentence in 2008.

Following Sogavare's defeat, Kemakeza became Minister of Forestry under Prime Minister Derek Sikua on 22 December 2007, leaving the post of Deputy Speaker on that date.

He lost his seat, and Cabinet position, in the August 2010 general election. He then announced he was a candidate for the position of Speaker of the National Parliament, to be chosen from outside Parliament. Two other former MPs, who had likewise lost their seat in the 2010 election, Francis Billy Hilly and Fred Fono, also stood for the job of Speaker. Kemakeza was elected by Parliament with 27 votes, to 17 for Billy Hilly and 4 for Fono.

Honours

 * Knight Bachelor (16 June 2001 – 23 December 2016)
 * Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon Taiwan (January 2006) Award Announced

title: Allan Kemakeza


text:
Shukri Ghanem

Shukri Mohammed Ghanem (شكري محمد إمحمد غانم 9 October 1942 – 29 April 2012) was a Libyan politician who was the General Secretary of the General People's Committee of Libya (prime minister) from June 2003 until March 2006 when, in the first major government re-shuffle in over a decade, he was replaced by his deputy, Baghdadi Mahmudi. Ghanem subsequently served as the Minister of Oil until 2011. On 29 April 2012, his body was found floating on the New Danube, Vienna.

Early in the Libyan Civil War he reportedly "fled", but after the city of Ra's Lanuf was recaptured by pro-government forces, AP reported on 13 March that he asked Eni SpA for help with putting out a fire at the Ra's Lanuf Refinery. On 16 May, Al Arabiya and the NTC reported that Shukri Ghanem defected to Tunisia. The next day Tunisian security officials confirmed he had indeed defected into Tunisia.

Early life and education
Ghanem was born in Tripoli, at the time capital of Italian Libya, on 9 October 1942. He studied economics at Garyounis University in Benghazi and graduated in 1963. He also held PhD in international economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and Harvard University in 1975.

Career
Ghanem was previously in charge of the OPEC secretariat, and was the director of its research division. He served as deputy director and director of foreign trade at the Ministry of Economy in Libya; was director of marketing of Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC); was director of economic affairs and under secretary and chief advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum in Libya. In 2003, Ghanem was appointed general secretary of the General People's Committee or Prime Minister. In March 2006, Ghanem was appointed Chairman of Libya's NOC. He tendered his resignation from NOC in August 2009 amidst probable disagreements within the Libyan government over the development of the oil sector.

After defection to Vienna in 2011, he served as a consultant for a Vienna-based company until his death.

Post Lockerbie bombing raproachment
Libya had been diplomatically isolated and subject to international sanctions since the November 1991 indictment of two Libyans for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988 (the Lockerbie bombing). Following Ghanem's appointment as prime minister, Libya successfully sought re-entry into the international community and the lifting of sanctions. Ghanem was seen as the main spokesman and architect of this rapprochement, which included paying $2.16 billion compensation in August 2003 to the families of the 270 people who died in the bombing, and renouncing weapons of mass destruction.

In February 2004, Ghanem was interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 Today program. He stirred controversy in the interview by repudiating Libya's responsibility both for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the 1984 murder of British WPC Yvonne Fletcher (who was shot and killed in April 1984 outside the Libyan Embassy in London). This incident led to the severing of UK/Libya diplomatic relations.

"After the problems we [Libya] have been facing because of the sanctions, the loss of money, we thought that it was easier for us to buy peace and this is why we agreed a compensation,' Ghanem said in the interview."

When asked whether the payment of compensation meant that Libya did not accept any guilt or responsibility, Ghanem replied:

"I agree with that, and this is why I say we bought peace."

Under pressure from the United States and Britain, Ghanem's comments were quickly retracted by Gaddafi.

It is unclear whether Shukri Ghanem's dismissal as prime minister in 2006 was a consequence of those controversial remarks he made two years earlier.

Libyan civil war
On 16 May 2011, it was reported that Ghanem has defected from the Gaddafi government and fled, which was confirmed the next day by Tunisian security officials. On 8 April 2011, against the background of the Libyan Civil War, the US Treasury department announced sanctions against him. In May 2011, he defected to Rome and then, Vienna. On 1 June 2011, Ghanem confirmed in Rome, that he had decided to join the Libyan opposition.

He was mistrusted by the new Libyan government due to his close friendship with the Gaddafi family, and particularly Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. Prior to his death, the interim Libyan government was preparing an Interpol arrest warrant against him, to investigate his mismanagement of oil production. At the same time, he was also wanted as a witness in the trial against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. His diary had also been acquired by investigators of financing allegations against French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the former president's 2007 election campaign.

Personal life
Ghanem was married and had three daughters and one son.

Death
Ghanem then lived with his family in Vienna, Austria, where he had an apartment and where his daughters also lived. Prior to his death, Ghanem had expressed concerns about the latest developments in Libya. Ghanem's body was found on 29 April 2012 in a branch of the River Danube. He was 69. An Austrian foreign ministry official said the family initially told the ministry that Ghanem had died of a heart attack, which was later denied by police. A BBC report noted the cause of death was not clear and that police had ordered a post-mortem. Toxicology tests were still being undertaken after Ghanem's body had been released for burial. His body, in a coffin wrapped in a white flag, was returned to Tripoli and buried there at the beginning of May 2012.

Posthumous allegations
On 1 May 2012, Reuters reported that Ghanem's associates at other OPEC countries, including former Iraqi Oil Minister Issam Chalabi, did not believe the official account of his death.

In March 2019, The Independent reported that Ghanem was the go-between for many of the bribes paid to the Gaddafi regime by companies in the Western world, most notably Yara International. According to Norwegian and Swiss prosecutors, Ghanem's son Mohammed served as the "bag man" in the Yara case and Yara had deposited at least $1.5 million to an account belonging to a company registered in the British Virgin Islands that was operated by Mohammed Ghanem. Dutch prosecutors were simultaneously pursuing a case against a $700 million hedge fund operated by Ghanem's son-in-law, Ismael Abudher. According to Dutch investigators, Abudher owned at least twelve British Virgin Islands shell companies and were using them to embezzle money from Libya's sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority.

In June 2022, Vanity Fair alleged that Ghanem was worth billions at the time of his death due to corruption and raised the possibility that his death was due to foul play.

title: Shukri Ghanem


text:
Interim leader (Canada)

An interim leader, in Canadian politics, is a party leader appointed by the party's legislative caucus or the party's executive to temporarily act as leader when a gap occurs between the resignation or death of a party leader and the election of their formal successor. Usually a party leader retains the leadership until a successor is formally chosen — however, in some situations this is not possible, and an interim leader is thus appointed by the party's caucus or the party executive. An interim leader may also be appointed while a leader is on a leave of absence due to poor health or some other reason, and then relinquish the position upon the leader's return.

An interim leader has all the rights and responsibilities of an elected party leader, with the exception that the person does not have the discretion to choose the timing of their departure — an interim leader serves only until the party organizes and holds a leadership convention. By virtue of lacking a mandate from the party membership, however, an interim leader is not generally seen as possessing the authority to truly put his or her own ideological and organizational stamp on the party, and is thus effectively limited to a caretaker role in most cases.

There have been a number of instances where instead of a competitive leadership race between multiple candidates, the leadership convention directly ratified the interim leader as the party's new permanent leader, but a convention must still take place in some form.

By convention, if a competitive leadership race between sitting members of the party's caucus is taking place, the interim leader should normally be a caucus member who is not standing as a candidate in the leadership race, so they do not gain unfair advantage in the contest. Only in rare cases, such as when a minor party's interim leader is also its only caucus member in the legislature or when no other caucus colleagues are competing for the leadership positions, will an interim leader stand as a candidate for permanent leadership.

An interim leader may, if necessary, lead the party into an election, but by Canadian custom, an election is usually not called while one of the parties is in a leadership race.

Practice
In most circumstances, a leader who has decided to step down gives extended notice, and a leadership convention is organized to choose their successor. The outgoing leader remains in the position for the duration of the leadership campaign, and then hands over power to the successor shortly after the convention.

However, sudden vacancies may occur for a variety of reasons.

Death in office
Wilfrid Laurier died in 1919, while holding the leadership of the Liberal Party. Daniel Duncan McKenzie was selected as the party's interim leader, serving until William Lyon Mackenzie King was selected as the party's leader later in the year.

Jack Layton initially took a leave of absence from the leadership of the New Democratic Party in 2011 for cancer treatment, and Nycole Turmel was named the interim leader of the party; Layton died before his intended date of return to office, and Turmel continued as interim leader pending the results of the 2012 leadership election.

Scandal
Glen Clark was forced to resign the leadership of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, and the premiership, after a criminal investigation against him was announced. He was succeeded by Dan Miller, who served until Ujjal Dosanjh won the resulting leadership convention.

Creation of a new party
In 2000, after the Reform Party was folded into the new Canadian Alliance, Deborah Grey served as the party's interim leader until the party's first leadership convention selected Stockwell Day. Similarly, after the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives merged in 2003, Senator John Lynch-Staunton was named interim leader of the new Conservative Party until the first leadership convention selected Stephen Harper.

Internal dissension
In 1983, Joe Clark received only 66.9 per cent support in an internal leadership review process conducted by the Progressive Conservative Party. Feeling that he did not have sufficiently strong support within the party, he thus scheduled a leadership convention. Initially, he remained the party's leader in the meantime — however, as he was also standing as a candidate in the leadership process, he eventually stepped down and Erik Nielsen was installed as the party's interim leader.

In early 2002, Stockwell Day's leadership of the Canadian Alliance came under criticism due to party infighting. Like Clark, he thus announced a new leadership campaign in which he would reoffer as a candidate, and John Reynolds became the party's interim leader.

Leader defeated in an election
In several cases, a party's leader has been defeated in his or her own riding in an election, and has resigned soon afterward. A resignation is not necessarily required in such a scenario, as other leaders in the same situation have retained the leadership until they were able to run in a by-election. However, for personal or political reasons some leaders have opted to immediately resign the leadership instead.

Andy Brandt became interim leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party following the party's defeat in the 1987 provincial election, in which leader Larry Grossman lost his own seat. He served until 1990, when he was succeeded by Mike Harris following a leadership convention.

Jean Charest became interim leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives following the party's defeat in the 1993 election, in which Kim Campbell lost her own seat. At the next leadership convention in 1995, Charest was acclaimed to the full leadership of the party. Additionally, having subsequently become leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Charest resigned as leader following the party's defeat in the 2012 provincial election, in which he lost his seat. As a result, Jean-Marc Fournier was named interim leader.

Joy MacPhail served as interim leader of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia from 2001 to 2003, following the party's defeat in the 2001 provincial election, in which Ujjal Dosanjh lost his seat. She served until Carole James was selected as the party's new leader in 2003.

John Tory was defeated in the 2007 Ontario election, in which he ran in a different seat than the one where he was an incumbent. He stayed on as leader, despite facing some internal criticism — notably, a leadership review in 2008 gave him just 66.9 per cent support, the very same result which Joe Clark had deemed not sufficient to justify staying on as leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives in 1983. Bob Runciman served as interim parliamentary leader, but Tory retained the actual leadership of the party. Tory eventually resigned in 2009, after losing a by-election in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, and Runciman became the party's interim leader.

Bob Rae was named interim leader of the Liberal Party following the 2011 election, in which his party's previous leader, Michael Ignatieff, was defeated in his own riding.

Internal disorganization
In one case, Ontario Liberal Party interim leader W.E.N. Sinclair led his party through two consecutive elections in 1926 and 1929. He was interim leader from 1923 to 1930 since, due to the party's state of disorganization, there was no leadership convention held in that period to choose a successor to Wellington Hay. When a convention was finally held, Sinclair drew little support and withdrew before balloting began. He was succeeded by future Premier Mitchell Hepburn.

Leader accepts another position
Sometimes an outgoing leader decides to resign immediately in order to ensure party unity, because they have accepted an appointment or chosen to stand as a candidate for (or been elected to) another position.

Following the resignation of Daniel Johnson as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party in 1998, the prospect of Jean Charest becoming the party's new leader began to attract widespread public support. When Charest subsequently decided to stand as a candidate, he resigned as leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives, and Elsie Wayne became the party's interim leader.

Similarly, Thomas Kennedy served as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 1948 to 1949, after George Drew resigned to contest the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservatives.

Leave of absence
From November 1954 to February 1955 William Earl Rowe acted as interim Leader of the Opposition when Progressive Conservative leader George A. Drew was in poor health following an attack of meningitis. Drew returned but later fell ill again, and Rowe again became as interim leader of the opposition in August 1956. Drew resigned in September and Rowe became interim party and opposition leader until December, when John Diefenbaker was elected party leader.

An interim leader, Nycole Turmel was appointed to lead the NDP on July 28, 2011, while Jack Layton was on a medical leave of absence to fight cancer. She continued in the position following Layton's death on August 22, 2011.

Political circumstances
Following the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute, Stéphane Dion's continued leadership of the federal Liberals was felt to be an impediment to the party's popular support, but with a situation where the party had to be almost immediately prepared to either take over the government or face an election, many party members felt that the party did not have the time to go through a conventional leadership race. After some internal debate, leadership candidates Dominic LeBlanc and Bob Rae withdrew from the race, and the only remaining candidate, Michael Ignatieff, was immediately named interim leader. His leadership was formally ratified at a party convention in May 2009.

Personal circumstances
Pam Barrett resigned the leadership of the Alberta New Democrats in 2000, but for health reasons she opted not to retain the leadership until her successor could be chosen, instead announcing that her resignation was effective immediately. Raj Pannu was named interim leader, and was then acclaimed leader at the subsequent convention. Brian Mason, who succeeded Pannu to the leadership in 2004, also took the position of interim leader before securing the full leadership at convention.

Danny Williams resigned the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, similarly choosing to step down immediately rather than serving until a leadership convention, and Deputy Premier Kathy Dunderdale was elevated to the interim leadership of the party and to the premiership.

Conservative Party of Canada (historic)

 * Hugh Guthrie October 11, 1926 – October 12, 1927 (following Arthur Meighen's loss of his seat in the general election and resignation)
 * Richard Hanson May 14, 1940 – November 12, 1941 (following Robert James Manion's loss of his seat in the general election and resignation)

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

 * William Earl Rowe September 21, 1956 – December 14, 1956 (following George A. Drew's resignation)
 * Erik Nielsen February 19, 1983 – June 11, 1983 (following Joe Clark's resignation)
 * Jean Charest December 14, 1993 – April 29, 1995 (following Kim Campbell's loss of her seat in the general election and resignation and his own ratification as permanent leader)
 * Elsie Wayne April 2, 1998 – November 14, 1998 (following Jean Charest's resignation to seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party)

Canadian Alliance

 * Deborah Grey March 27, 2000 – July 8, 2000 (following the creation of the party, until its first leadership convention)
 * John Reynolds December 12, 2001 – March 20, 2002 (following the resignation of Stockwell Day)

Conservative Party of Canada

 * John Lynch-Staunton December 8, 2003 – March 20, 2004 (following the creation of the party, until its first leadership convention)
 * Rona Ambrose November 5, 2015—May 27, 2017 (following the resignation of Stephen Harper after losing the 2015 federal election, until the election of Andrew Scheer as party leader)
 * Candice Bergen February 2, 2022—September 10, 2022 (following the removal as leader of Erin O'Toole, until the election of Pierre Poilievre as party leader)

Green Party of Canada

 * Harry Garfinkle 1997 (following the abrupt resignation of Wendy Priesnitz over differences between the party's stated goals and the beliefs of its membership )
 * Chris Bradshaw 2001 – February 2003 (following the resignation of Joan Russow)
 * Jo-Ann Roberts November 4, 2019 – October 3, 2020 (following the resignation of Elizabeth May after the 2019 Canadian federal election)
 * Amita Kuttner November 24, 2021 – November 19, 2022 (following the resignation of Annamie Paul after the 2021 Canadian federal election)

Liberal Party of Canada

 * Daniel Duncan McKenzie February 17, 1919 – August 7, 1919 (following the death of Sir Wilfrid Laurier)
 * Bill Graham March 19, 2006 – December 1, 2006 (following the resignation of Paul Martin after losing the 2006 federal election)
 * Michael Ignatieff December 10, 2008 – May 2, 2009 (following the resignation of Stephane Dion, until being elected permanent leader)
 * Bob Rae May 25, 2011 – April 13, 2013 (following the resignation of Ignatieff who lost his seat in the 2011 federal election)

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

 * J. S. Woodsworth August 1, 1932 – July 1933 (acting leader from founding meeting until its first national convention a year later when he was elected permanent leader)

New Democratic Party

 * Nycole Turmel July 28, 2011 – March 24, 2012 (following the death of Jack Layton)

Social Credit Party of Canada

 * Alexander Bell Patterson March 9, 1967 – June 30, 1968 (following the defection of Robert N. Thompson to the Progressive Conservatives)
 * Gilles Caouette June 29, 1977 – April 11, 1978 (following the death of André-Gilles Fortin)
 * Charles-Arthur Gauthier April 11, 1978 – May 7, 1978 and February 23, 1979 – March 30, 1979 (following the resignations of Gilles Caouette and Lorne Reznowski respectively)
 * Ken Sweigard July 15, 1983 – June 22, 1986 (following the resignation of Martin Hattersley)
 * James Keegstra July 27, 1987 – July 30, 1987 (following Harvey Lainson's suspension from the party, until his reinstatement)

Bloc Québécois

 * Gilles Duceppe January 16, 1996 – February 17, 1996 (following the resignation of Lucien Bouchard after losing the Quebec 1995 referendum)
 * Vivian Barbot May 2, 2011 – December 11, 2011 (following the resignation of Gilles Duceppe after losing his seat at the 2011 Canadian federal election)
 * Rhéal Fortin October 22, 2015 – March 18, 2017 (following the resignation of Gilles Duceppe after failing to win a seat at the 2015 Canadian federal election)
 * Mario Beaulieu June 13, 2018 – January 17, 2019 (following the resignation of Martine Ouellet after losing a leadership review)

British Columbia Liberal Party

 * Thomas Dufferin Pattullo October 1928 – January 1929 (following the resignation of John Duncan MacLean)
 * Rich Coleman August 4, 2017 – February 3, 2018 (following the resignation of Christy Clark, after losing the 2017 provincial election)

Green Party of British Columbia

 * Tom Hetherington 2000 (following the resignation of Stuart Parker for losing the leadership vote)
 * Christopher Bennett 2007 (following the resignation of Adriane Carr)
 * Adam Olsen 2013-2015 (following the resignation of Jane Sterk)

Green Party of Prince Edward Island

 * Darcie Lanthier 2012 (following the resignation of Sharon Labchuk)

Ontario Liberal Party

 * John Fraser June 14, 2018 – March 7, 2020, and August 3, 2022 – December 2, 2023 (following the resignations of Kathleen Wynne and Steven Del Duca respectively)

Prince Edward Island Liberal Party

 * Lorne Bonnell 1965
 * Bennett Campbell 1978 (following the retirement of Alexander B. Campbell, until his election as permanent leader)
 * Gilbert Clements 1981 (following Bennett Campbell's resignation)
 * Ron MacKinley 2000-2003 (MacKinley was the only member of the party elected in the 2000 provincial election)
 * Robert Mitchell 2019 (following Wade MacLauchlan's resignation after losing his seat in the 2019 provincial election)
 * Sonny Gallant September 16, 2019 - November 19, 2022 (following Robert Mitchell's resignation as interim leader )

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

 * Andy Brandt November 3, 1987 – May 12, 1990 (following Larry Grossman's resignation after losing his seat in the 1987 provincial election)
 * Bob Runciman March 20, 2009 – July 1, 2009 (following the resignation of John Tory after failing to win a seat in the Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock by-election)
 * Jim Wilson July 2, 2014 – May 9, 2015 (following the resignation of Tim Hudak)
 * Vic Fedeli January 26, 2018 – March 10, 2018 (following the resignation of Patrick Brown)

Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba

 * Kelvin Goertzen September 1, 2021 – October 30, 2021. Served as Interim Leader and Premier of Manitoba following the resignation of Brian Pallister

 * Wayne Ewasko January 18, 2024 – present. (Following the resignation of Heather Stefanson as Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and Leader of the official opposition

Interim parliamentary leaders
In certain circumstances, a party may also have an interim parliamentary leader who is not officially the party's leader, particularly when the party leader is not a sitting member of the legislature. Herb Gray served as parliamentary leader of the Liberals following the selection of Jean Chrétien as leader in 1990, until Chrétien could run in a by-election to enter the House of Commons. Similarly, Bob Runciman served as parliamentary leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party following the 2007 election, in which party leader John Tory lost his seat in the legislature. He became the party's full interim leader in 2009 after Tory was defeated in an attempt to re-enter the Legislative Assembly in a by-election.

Bill Graham served as interim parliamentary leader of the Liberals in early 2006, while outgoing party leader Paul Martin was still sitting as an MP and retained the formal leadership of the party. After this situation created some media confusion over which man would lead the party into an election if one were to occur, Martin stepped down as party leader in March, and Graham assumed the full interim leadership until Stéphane Dion was selected as leader in December.

Louis Plamondon became interim parliamentary leader of the Bloc Québécois on June 2, 2011, at the beginning of the first session of the 41st Canadian Parliament, following the 2011 federal election and the defeat and resignation of BQ leader Gilles Duceppe, while Vivian Barbot succeeded Duceppe as interim president of the BQ.

Major James Coldwell became parliamentary leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in October 1940, following the stroke and incapacitation of party leader J. S. Woodsworth, who retained the title of "honorary president" (leader). Coldwell was officially elected leader in July 1942, several months following Woodsworth's death.

title: Interim leader (Canada)


text:
Algirdas Brazauskas

Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas (, 22 September 1932 – 26 June 2010) was a Lithuanian politician who served as the fourth president of Lithuania from 1993 to 1998. He also served as the prime minister of Lithuania from 2001 to 2006. Brazauskas was the first democratically elected president of post-Soviet Lithuania.

He also served as head of the Communist Party of Lithuania that broke with Moscow.

Biography
Brazauskas was born in Rokiškis, Lithuania. Brazauskas traces his family back to the 18th century. In the village of Mikailiškii (now Radviliškis District Municipality). His father was Kazimieras Brazauskas (1906–1997) and mother was Sofija Perezilevičiūtė-Brazauskienė (1904–1979). He finished Kaišiadorys High School in 1952 and graduated from Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1956 with a degree in civil engineering. He later served as a Conscript sailor in the Soviet Navy, serving as a Fire controlman on board the Riga-class frigate Rosomacha until 1960. In 1967, Brazauskas started working in the Governmental Planning Committee, as a Committee's head's assistant. In 1974, Brazauskas received PhD in economics.

Family
He divorced his first wife, Julia, with whom he had two daughters; he married Kristina Butrimienė in 2002.

Political career
He took various positions in the government of Lithuanian SSR and Communist Party of Lithuania since 1965:
 * 1965–1967, the minister of construction materials industry of Lithuanian SSR
 * 1967–1977, deputy chairman of State Planning Committee of Lithuanian SSR.
 * 1977–1987, secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Lithuania.

In the 1980s, he transformed himself from a Communist Party apparatchik to a moderate reformer. He was seen as cautious by nature, and when confronted by the tide of nationalist feeling in the Soviet Union, Brazauskas initially believed that the USSR might be reconstituted as a looser federation of independent, but communist, states. In seeing the tide of an independent democracy, he joined the reformist cause observing in 1990 that "We are realists now, and we cannot be propagating any utopian ideas. It's no secret [that] the Communist Party has a dirty history."

In 1988, he became the first secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania. Under his leadership, the majority of the Communist Party of Lithuania supported the Lithuanian independence movement, broke away from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and transformed itself into social-democratic Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (now merged into the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party). Brazauskas was Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (head of state) from 15 January until 11 March 1990.

Though he sought to avoid a breach with Moscow in 1989, as leader of Lithuania's Communist Party, he formally severed the party's links with Moscow. This was rare in that no other local communist party organizations in the former Soviet Union dared to take this step. Some historians and journalists have later suggested that this act was the earliest certain indication of the inevitability of the demise of the Soviet Union.

After the 1992 parliamentary elections, the first to the Seimas since 1938, he became speaker of parliamentary and acting President of Lithuania on 25 November 1992. He then won the presidential election in a single round with 60 percent of the vote and was confirmed as president on 25 February 1993. He immediately suspended his membership in the Democratic Labour Party; the Constitution does not allow the president to be a formal member of a political party during his tenure. He decided not to seek reelection, and handed the presidency to his successor, Valdas Adamkus, on 25 February 1998.

Retirement
Brazauskas said he planned to retire from politics and wanted to be "an ordinary pensioner." During the initial two years in retirement he wrote on a book, though it was incomplete. He said he would continue writing it after his second stint in government. He also said he would finish "household work" and that he likes physical work. He added that "I have no estates, but the property I own needs to be put in good order." He wanted to live "in a way that other people live."

Return to politics
He subsequently returned to politics saying he "always had something to do in life." This time he was Prime Minister from 3 July 2001, appointed by the parliament, until 1 June 2006, when his government resigned as President Valdas Adamkus expressed no confidence in two of the Ministers, formerly Labour Party colleagues of Brazauskas, over ethical principles.

His government resigned on 31 May 2006 after the large Labour Party left the governing coalition. Brazauskas decided not to remain in office as acting Prime Minister, and announced that he was finally retiring from politics. He said "I tried to be a pensioner for several years, and I think I was successful. I hope for success this time, as well."

He led the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania for one more year, until 19 May 2007, when he passed the reins to Gediminas Kirkilas. He served as the honorary chairman of the party, and remained an influential voice in party politics.

Honours
Algirdas Brazauskas was honored with the various decorations, among others the Order of Vytautas the Great with the Golden Chain, Grand Cross Order of Vytautas the Great. Days before his death Russian President Dmitry Medvedev awarded Brazauskas with the Order of Honour for his significant contribution to cooperation between Russia and Lithuania and good neighborly relations. Brazauskas was also an honorary member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

Illness and death
Brazauskas was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in December 2008. He died on 26 June 2010 from cancer, aged 77. At the time of his death, he was still considered an influential figure in Lithuanian politics.

Following his death the obituaries wrote of him that he had a "frame to match his indefatigable stature and a calm but commanding presence that could fill any stage." His successor as president, Valdas Adamkus, said that he "dared to decide which side to choose in a critical moment."

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė said "The memory of the first directly elected president of Lithuania after it restored its independence, of a strong and charismatic personality, will remain for a long time in the hearts of the Lithuanian people."

title: Algirdas Brazauskas


text:
Talk:Horatio Gates

Ancestry and birth
Micheal Boatner's 1974 book, the Encyclopedia of the American Revolution gives a different ancestry. It has been picked up by a number of web sites, but I still accept my older notes. As a defense, many libraries have dropped the Boatner book due to other inaccuracies. In fairness, however, I must report there are no other specific challenge to his version of Gates' biography. Lou I 19:45, 9 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * Was Gates born in 1726 or 1727? I've seen 1728 cited as well.  Perhaps the change from Julian to Gregorian has something to do with it, but because no month and day of birth are given, one can't be sure. -- Flauto Dolce 01:14, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * On calendars: Old Style Calendar, New Year began March 26 versus January 1; Britain made the switch from Julian to Gregorian in 1752. Factoring in the O.S. versus N.S. shift applies only to dates falling in Jan-March in a given year before 1752. The date 26 Feb 1728 O.S. is 26 Feb 1729 N.S., whereas the date 26 July 1728 is the same in both Old Style and New Style. However, a high degree of confusion has been introduced into historical documents because earlier generations of note-takers and document-transcribers had a tendency to over-correct Old Style dates without observing the demarcation between months of Jan-March (needed correction) versus April-December (no correction needed) (UTC)

Does anyone have any information on where General Gates was from? The article makes no mention of that, save that he was an officer in the British regular army and served in Europe, America, and the West Indies.--Raguleader 08:19, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

 * The precise year, location, and circumstances of Gates's birth are undocumented, hence the variations. Any source that reports this data as fact rather than tradition is apparently telling you more than can be proven. In the American National Biography, Gates biographer Paul David Nelson gives 1728 as his best guess, and says that he was "born, according to tradition, in Maldon, England, the son of Robert Gates, a customs collector, and Dorothy Reeve, a housekeeper." —Kevin Myers 05:10, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

 * This edit seems to say differently, --   Jack of Oz    ... speak! ...   04:41, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

Regardless of his ancestry, Horatio Gates is a true bastard. He proved it at Camden. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.78.139.30 (talk) 19:26, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

From Eileen Scully 18 July 2011, we now have an authoritative document recording HG's baptism. A digital image of the baptismal ledger from St Nicholas Parish (see below) can readily be found on Ancestry.com. Date of christening is not equivalent to date of birth, and HG might have been one month or even one year old when baptized. On the other hand, the timing and location of his baptism corroborates the general narrative and scenario recorded by Horatio-Horace Walpole, i.e. that Walpole was about ten when HG was born, and that Walpole's mother (who resided largely in Kent county, was the channel by which HG's mother arranged for Walpole to be godfather. The original baptismal entry for HG reads, "Horatio s of Rt Gates." Ancestry's transcription includes Parish and location information taken from the St Nicholas Parish register itself:

 * Name: Horatio Gates
 * Baptism Date: 30 Apr 1728
 * Parish: St Nicholas, Deptford
 * County: Kent
 * Borough: Greenwich
 * Parent(s): Rt Gates
 * Record Type: Baptism

Over the decades and centuries, the original English connotations of a "housekeeper" for Lord of Here or Lady of There have been lost, and so we get people saying and assuming that HG's mother was a maid, or domestic servant. It's probably more correct to say, as some have, that HG's mother had some small but credible claim to important ancestors, and she made the most of it.

HG's papers include correspondence with his parents of record, i.e. Robert & Dorothy Gates, spanning 1759 to 1766 (HG to Robert and Dorothy Gates, c 1759, 1:175; Robert and Dorothy Gates to HG, 8 Aug 1765, 1:748; ditto, 23 Jan 1766, 1:803; HG to R& DG, 4 May 1766, 1:828 (HGP, NYPL). There is also a 21 March 1767 court order appointing HG as executor to his father Robert’s estate in England (Patterson; HGP 1:979). It would be helpful to have those documents online.

Mintz makes a strong case that Dorothy Gates was Dorothy Hubbock, daughter of John Hubbock, postmaster at Fulham. Checking on this family through Google-books, we find that John Hubbock SR and JR belonged to the same St Nicholas Parish in which HG was baptized. Mintz also states that Dorothy Hubbock had at least one prior marriage, to one Thomas Reeve, and that years before HG was born she borrowed the name "Peregrine" from her employer, the second Duke of Leeds (Peregrine Osborne). Records (on Ancestry) show one PEREGRINE REEVES christened at St. Alfege, Greenwich, London, on 23 March 1712 O.S./1713 N.S., the son of Thomas (a shipwright) and Dorothy Reeves. This same Peregrine Reeves was buried in St Dunston and All Saints Parish, Middlesex County, on 20 February 1776.

 * Not to denigrate the work being documented here, but: until it is published in a reliable source, it is of marginal use here. Unfortunately, images posted to ancestry.com do not qualify -- if the baptismal record image were available from an authoritative source (either a scholarly source or an official source for such records), the story would be different.  This means that the material added to the article reflecting this work is subject to being challenged (or removed) by another editor.  I recommend the researcher find a way to get this information into a scholarly publication.  Magic ♪piano 02:44, 21 July 2011 (UTC)

From Eileen Scully....7-22-2011

HG's father Robert Gates (1697-1767)
 * Name: Robert Gates
 * Baptism Date: 17 Nov 1697
 * Parish: St Alfege, Greenwich
 * County: London
 * Borough: City of London
 * Parent(s): Thomas Gates, Ann Gates

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives, SAINT ALFEGE, GREENWICH, Register of baptisms, including baptisms at the Queen's House 1690 - 1693, 1680 May-1721 Dec, P78/ALF/002

SIBLINGS of Robert Gates:
 * Name: Thomas Gates
 * Baptism Date: 29 Nov 1696
 * Parish: St Alfege, Greenwich
 * County: London
 * Borough: City of London
 * Parent(s): Thomas Gates, Ann Gates

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives, SAINT ALFEGE, GREENWICH, Register of baptisms, including baptisms at the Queen's House 1690 - 1693, 1680 May-1721 Dec, P78/ALF/002

 * Name: Elizabeth Gates
 * Baptism Date: 25 Mar 1705/1706
 * Parish: St Alfege, Greenwich
 * County: London
 * Borough: City of London
 * Parent(s):Thomas Gates, Anne Gates

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives, SAINT ALFEGE, GREENWICH, Register of baptisms, including baptisms at the Queen's House 1690 - 1693, 1680 May-1721 Dec, P78/ALF/002

HG's parents, Robert & Dorothy Gates, offspring included:
 * Name: John Gates
 * Baptism Date: 11 May 1721
 * Parish: St Alfege, Greenwich
 * County: London
 * Borough: City of London
 * Parent(s): Robert Gates, a victualler, Dorothy Gates

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives, SAINT ALFEGE, GREENWICH, Register of baptisms, including baptisms at the Queen's House 1690 - 1693, 1680 May-1721 Dec, P78/ALF/002

 * Name: Thomas Gates
 * Baptism Date: 3 Jul 1722
 * Parish: St Olave, Bermondsey
 * County: Surrey
 * Borough: Southwark
 * Parent(s): Robert, Dorothy

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Olave, Bermondsey, Composite register: baptisms, marriages, burials, P71/OLA, Item 013

'''Name: Horatio Gates
 * Baptism Date: 30 Apr 1728
 * Parish: St Nicholas, Deptford
 * County: Kent
 * Borough: Greenwich
 * Parent(s): Rt Gates

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Nicholas, Deptford, Composite register: baptisms Jun 1717 - Oct 1786, burials May 1718 - Nov 1786, P78/NIC, Item 005 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.68.212.212 (talk) 03:36, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

Newburgh Conspiracy
Question about the line that Gates "had no obvious connection" to the Newburgh Conspiracy. Joseph J. Ellis has Gates not only complicit in the Newburgh Conspiracy but actually leading the radical faction that wanted to act out the military takeover. p. 142 His Excellency, Knopf, New York:2004. Ellis cites Richard H. Kohn, Eagle and Sword: The Beginnings of the Military Establishment in America, New York:1975. --Hilander 03:40, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

Gallery
Shouldn't this be moved to wikipedia commons? Fawcett5 16:07, 11 May 2005 (UTC)

This doesn't seem correct.
"The political maneuverings of Washington's underlings were unintentionally exposed to Washington by Gates' adjutant, James Wilkinson."

It seems like this should read "Gate's underlings" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.170.137.158 (talk) 05:30, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

 * The word "underling" may be less than ideal. The principal "underling" in question was Brigadier Thomas Conway, who was technically subordinate to Washington.  Another major figure implicated in the cabal was Thomas Mifflin, although he left the army in October 1777, at least in part because of his dissatisfaction with Washington's (lack of) appreciation of his talents.  I don't recall offhand what other officers may have been involved.  Thomas Fleming's Washington's Secret War goes into the Conway Cabal in some detail, and specifically mentions Daniel Brodhead IV as another unhappy officer.  But it was Wilkinson's big mouth that exposed the circle of discontent to Washington.  Magic ♪piano 13:13, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

 * "Underlings" comes across as a little unencyclopaedic and sneering in tone. I've changed it to the more neutral-sounding "opponents". Lord Cornwallis (talk) 10:46, 18 August 2011 (UTC)

Unsourced passage under "Conway Cabal" section
This information was not sourced, tagged since July 2011:

'' In July of 1780, Gates was involved in a minor skirmish with Loyalists in southern Connecticut, the center of the American textiles trade, for which Britain was a major export market. No casualties were reported, though stores of Loyalist livestock were destroyed, depriving the British of those provisions.''

I researched this, and found absolutely nothing to substantiate it. If anyone does find this information, please add it and provide the reference! Monsieur dl   mon talk 15:57, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Misleading in its ambiguity concerning Gates' integrity
Gates was the greatest American traitor known to date, yet this article uses clever words and irony to just infer that. Simply put, he was one of the best weapons the British had against the colonies, since he discredited Arnold (one of the best field commanders of the war on either side) and almost took out Washington. If not for his abject cowardice at Camden, Gates may have succeeded in subverting Washington and effectively handing America to the British. Amply documented in PBS' http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/ and many other documentaries that speak more plainly and accurately to the true depth of Gates' depravity and amorality in seeking self-advancement at any cost. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.11.85.188 (talk) 00:27, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

 * That he was "the greatest American traitor known to date" is an opinion I've not seen widely stated; name a few historians who agree with that assessment. Seeking self-advancement "at any cost" would suggest Gates did (or was prepared to do) things that Arnold (and other genuinely treasonous individuals) did: betraying actual military secrets to the enemy.  Did Gates?  No?  So much for that idea...  Magic ♪piano 18:19, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Missing material
How is it that there is not a single thing in here between 1772 and 1780? Where is the account of Gates during the Revolution? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.17.75.51 (talk) 04:19, 31 December 2013 (UTC)

 * Because some vandalism was missed; now fixed. Thanks for noticing.  Magic ♪piano 15:09, 31 December 2013 (UTC)

Allegedly?
I think the word "allegedly" should be added to the lede when talking about the Conway Cabal - either Gates's involvement is alleged or the cabal itself should be labeled thus. There is a good deal of doubt whether the cabal actually existed as described.Purplethree (talk) 22:33, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

 * See two quotations and citations now in two footnotes concerning Conway cabal. Donner60 (talk) 03:38, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

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Branko Crvenkovski

Branko Crvenkovski (Бранко Црвенковски, pronounced ; born 12 October 1962) is a Macedonian politician who served as the 3rd President of Macedonia from 2004 to 2009. He previously served as Prime Minister of Macedonia from 1992 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2004.

A former member of the League of Communists of Macedonia (SKM), Crvenkovski founded the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) in 1991, the legal successor of the SKM. He was the SDSM's leader on two occasions.

Background and earlier career
Crvenkovski was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of Yugoslavia.

In 1986 he obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Automation from the School of Electrical Engineering at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.

He was elected member of the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia at the first multi-party elections in Yugoslavia in 1990 after serving for several years as head of department at the Semos company in Skopje. A former communist, Crvenkovski founded the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia in April 1991.

Prime Minister of Macedonia
On 5 September 1992, Crvenkovski became Macedonia's second prime minister after its secession from Yugoslavia and continued in the post for another four years following the December 1994 elections.

He served as Prime Minister from 1992 to 1998 and from 2002 until 2004. He was most recently elected in 2002 after his Social Democratic Union of Macedonia party won the parliamentary elections.

In July 1997 he ordered that Albanian flags in front of government buildings in western part of Macedonia be removed. The situation escalated with one person dead and many injured. In 2005, on his initiative, the Albanian flag was legalized.

Presidency (2004–2009)
Crvenkovski won the April 2004 presidential election against Saško Kedev and took office on 12 May 2004. He then resigned as Prime Minister.

Crvenkovski did not run for a second term in the March 2009 presidential election. Instead, he returned to his party and was elected to be the head of the party on 24 May 2009.

Honours and awards

 * Branko Crvenkovski is an Honorary Member of Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

title: Branko Crvenkovski