January 1- Eduardo Duhalde is appointed President of Argentina. He appoints Jorge Capitanich as cabinet chief, Carlos Ruckauf as foreign minister; Felipe Solá becomes governor of Buenos Aires.
January 1- Manuel Andrade Díaz takes office as governor of Tabasco.
Janyary 1- Kaspar Villiger becomes president of Switzerland; Pascal Corminboeuf becomes president of the Council of State of Fribourg; Claudio Lardi president of the government of Graubünden; Anita Rion president of the government of Jura; Ulrich Fässler Schultheiss of Luzern; Herbert Bühl president of the government of Schaffhausen; Rolf Ritschard Landammann of Solothurn; and Francine Jeanprêtre president of the Council of State of Vaud.
January 4- Assad Shoman is sworn in as foreign minister of Belize.
January 6- Mikhail Lapshin wins Presidential run-off election in the Altay Republic.
January 7- Michelle Bachelet Jeria is named as defense minister of Chile.
January 8- Kristiina Ojuland becomes foreign minister of Estonia.
January 8- John J. Farmer Jr becomes acting Governor of New Jersey, followed by John O. Bennett and then Richard J. Codey until governor-elect Jim McGreevey is sworn in.
March 2- Narain Dutt Tiwari is sworn in as chief minister of Uttaranchal.
March 3- Gabriel Costa's Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe wins parliamentary elections in São Tomé and Príncipe, he would later become Prime Minister.
May 1- Thomas Burgener takes office as president of the Council of State of Valais; Ernst Buschor takes office as president of the government of Zürich.
May 30- Roy Chaderton is sworn in as foreign minister of Venezuela.
June 1- Elisabeth Zölch-Balmer becomes president of the government of Bern; Pierre Hirschy becomes president of the Council of State of Neuchâtel; Hans Peter Ruprecht becomes president of the government of Thurgau; and Gabi Huber Landammann of Uri.
July 1- Elsbeth Schneider-Kenel becomes president of the government of Basel-Land; Leo Odermatt becomes Landammann of Nidwalden; Hans Hofer becomes Landammann of Obwalden; Peter Schönenberger becomes Landammann of Sankt Gallen, and Friedrich Huwyler becomes Landammann of Schwyz.
July 9- The governor of Maharashtra resigns, he will eventually be replaced by C.K. Thakkar.
July 9- Members of the Peruvian cabinet resign, and are eventually replaced by Luis Solari as prime minister and Allan Wagner Tizón as foreign minister.
July 9- Ana Palacio is named foreign minister of Spain.
November 5- Einars Repse is nominated for Prime Minister of Latvia, and is named Prime Minister 2 days later, Sandra Kalniete becomes Foreign Minister.
November 5- The Republicans regain control of the Senate and expand their majority in the US House in midterm elections.
