Kim Jong-il, President of North Korea

Kim Jong-il, at 64, is the unchallenged leader of North Korea. Since he succeeded his father Kim Il-sung in 1994 the secretive communist state has sunk further into poverty, while its foreign policy has become ever more combative and anti-Western.

The birth of Kim Il-sung’s eldest son – now known to his people as “Dear Leader” – is steeped in legend. According to some accounts he was born in February 1942 on Mount Paektu, his birth marked by the appearance of a double rainbow and a bright star in the sky.

Others claim he was born February 1941 in Siberia during Kim Il-sung’s period of exile.

Kim studied politics at the Kim Il-sung university and graduated in 1964, becoming leader of the Korean Workers’ Party and joining the party politburo.

He was later appointed deputy editor of the Propaganda and Agitation department and, in 1973, he became party secretary in charge of Organisation and Propaganda.

By 1980 he had become a member of the Central Committee and the designated successor to his father. In 1991 he was appointed Supreme Commander of the armed forces.

Little is known about him although there are many stories. He is said to have written six operas within two years and single-handedly designed the Juche tower which signifies the Juche ideology of self reliance blended with Marxism, the Korean idea of communism.

It is also rumoured that he has been responsible for kidnapping young women, mainly from Japan, in order to be his companions.

Kim Jong-il has been suspected of being involved in the 1983 bomb attack on Rangoon in which several members of the South Korean cabinet were killed and the bombing of a South Korean airliner four years later.
Recent reports suggest that the dictator has hired body doubles to carry out boring state visits and reduce the threat from assassins.

A liking for exotic foods including roast donkey has contibuted to the dictator’s potbellied physique, although the look is far from typical in his country where many survive on a meagre diet of rice and cabbage.

Eduard Kokoyty, President of South Ossetia

Eduard Kokoyty, President of South Ossetia

(Кокойты Эдуард Джабеевич) born on October 31, 1964 in Tskhinvali.

Professional career started as an electrical engineer. Graduated South Ossetian Pedagogical Institute in 1987. While he was a student, he was elected as the secretary of the committee of communists at the university.From 1988-1989 was a secretary and then from 1989-1991 he was the first secretary of the city of Tskhinvali communist party.

During Georgia-Ossetia conflict, he created and headed the fighting division of the “defenders of Ossetia.”

From 1990-1993 he was a deputy of the Parliament of South Ossetia.

In 1993 he created a sports charity fund “Youth.”

In 1997 he was appointed as the Trade Representative-Minister of South Ossetia to Russia.

Then, he was an advisor to the deputy of Russian Parliament, A. Chekhoev.

Married. Has 3 sons.

Dmitry Sanakoev, Alternative President of South Ossetia

Dmitry Sanakoev (born in 1969) is a South Ossetian politician. He claims to serve as President of South Ossetia, a secessionist republic officially recognised as being part of Georgia, after winning alternative elections organised by the opposition to the de facto incumbent, Eduard Kokoity. He is recognised neither by the de facto government in Tskhinvali, the entity’s capital, or by the international community at large, which does not recognise the existence of a South Ossetian government at all.
Sanakoyev fought on the Ossetian side during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict in the early 1990s. Later, he served as defense minister and then as prime minister for several months in 2001 under Kokoity’s predecessor, Lyudvig Chibirov, but left South Ossetia for Moscow after Kokoity came to power.

On November 13, in a so-called “alternative” poll organized by The Salvation Union of South Ossetia in Georgian- and Ossetian villages not controlled by the separatists, Sanakoyev was declared the president-elect, with more than 80 percent of the vote. His campaign posters were prominently posted on walls outside polling stations in Georgian-controlled villages, benefited from extensive media coverage in the Georgian press. His election manifesto envisaged the restoration of the region’s status as a republic within Georgia and a program of measures to spur economic growth.

At his November 13 press conference, Kokoity termed Sanakoyev and Karkusov, head of the alternative election commission and a former advisor to Kokoity, “traitors to their homeland and traitors to the South Ossetian people.” The South Ossetian media launched a campaign to discredit and compromise Sanakoyev, accusing him of corruption, duplicity, and collaborating with Georgian intelligence.

In December 2006, Sanakoyev formed his government, choosing not to include the post of defense minister.

Almazbek Atambayev has been the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan since 17 December 2010. Previously he was Prime Minister from 29 March 2007 until 28 November 2007. He has also served as the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan since 30 July 1999.

Atambayev was an unsuccessful candidate in the October 2000 presidential election, receiving 6% of the vote. Atambayev served as the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism in the government from 20 December 2005 until he resigned on 21 April 2006.

In November 2006 he was one of the leaders of anti-government protests in Bishkek, under the umbrella of the movement ‘For Reform!’ (За Реформы). He was also involved in earlier protests in late April 2006.

On 26 December 2006 Atambayev rejected calls from other lawmakers for a dissolution of the Supreme Council, saying, “It is impossible for this Parliament to be dissolved at least until May [2007], and it has to adopt all the laws. Otherwise there will be a war in Kyrgyzstan, because even if Parliament adopts the [proposed] authoritarian constitution, I will tell you openly, we will not accept it. It would be a constitution adopted illegally. Then we would take every [possible protest action]. We are ready for that.”

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Azim Isabekov on 29 March 2007, Atambayev was appointed acting Prime Minister by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. He was then confirmed in parliament by a vote of 48-3 on 30 March. He is the first prime minister in Central Asia to come from an opposition party. On 11 April, he tried to address a large protest in Bishkek demanding Bakiyev’s resignation, but was booed by the protesters.

Bakiyev announced the resignation of Atambayev’s government on October 24, 2007, following a successful referendum. The government was to remain in office until after a parliamentary election in December.

Nonetheless, Atambayev resigned on 28 November 2007; Bakiyev accepted the resignation, while praising Atambayev for his performance in office, and appointed Acting First Deputy Prime Minister Iskenderbek Aidaraliyev in his place as Acting Prime Minister. Edil Baisalov of the Social Democratic Party claimed that Atambayev was forced out of office because he was an obstacle to alleged government interference in the parliamentary election.

Roza Otunbayeva, Former President of Kyrgyzstan (since May 19, 2010)

Roza Otunbayeva, President of Kyrgyzstan

Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (Kyrgyz: Роза Исаковна Отунбаева, Russian: Роза Исаковна Отунбаева; born August 23, 1950) is the President of Kyrgyzstan, following the 2010 revolution which led to the ousting of then President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. She is a former foreign minister and head of the parliamentary caucus for the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. Otunbayeva is the first female President of a CIS/SCO member state.

Otunbayeva was born in Osh, Kyrgyz SSR, USSR in a family of Isaac Otunbayev, a member of the Supreme Court of Kirgiz SSR. She graduated from the Philosophy Faculty of Moscow State University in 1972 and went on to teach as senior professor and head of the philosophy department at Kyrgyz State National University for six years. In 1975 she became Candidate of Sciences after defending dissertation named “Critique of falsification of Marxist-Leninist dialectic by the philosophers of Frankfurt school”. Otunbayeva is married and has two children. She is fluent in English and Russian in addition to Kyrgyz.

In 1981, she began her political career as the Communist Party’s second secretary of the Lenin raion council (raikom) of Frunze (current Bishkek). In late 1980s, she served as head of the USSR Delegation to UNESCO in Paris, and later as the Soviet Ambassador to Malaysia. By 1992, the now independent Kyrgyzstan was led by Askar Akayev, who chose her to be both Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, positions she held until later that year when she became her country’s first ambassador to the USA and Canada. She returned to her original post in 1994, remaining there for 3 years. In 1998-2001, she served as the first Kyrgyz ambassador to the United Kingdom. In 2002-2004, she was the deputy head of the United Nations special mission to Georgia.

Upon her return to Kyrgyzstan in late 2004, Otunbayeva became politically active. In December 2004, she and three other opposition parliamentarians founded the Ata-Jurt (Fatherland) party in preparation for the February 2005 parliamentary elections.

She was barred from becoming a candidate for the 2005 legislative election due to a previously enacted law requiring prospective MPs to have resided in the country for 5 years prior to the elections. Her time as ambassador to the United Kingdom prevented her from meeting this criterion. She met this requirement in 2010, so she is eligible to run for the post.

Otunbayeva was one of the key leaders of the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan which led to the overthrow of President Akayev. Subsequently she served for a few months as Acting Foreign Minister in the interim government of then prime minister (and acting president) Kurmanbek Bakiev. After Bakiev was elected President and Feliks Kulov became Prime Minister, Otunbayeva failed to receive the required parliamentary support to become Foreign Minister. She then ran unsuccessfully in a parliamentary by-election a few months later. Otunbayeva played a key role in November 2006 protests that pressed successfully for a new democratic constitution.

She was the co-chairwoman of the country’s Asaba (Flag) National Revival Party for a short term.

In December 2007, Otunbayeva was elected to Jogorku Kenesh – the parliament of Kyrgyzstan – on the candidate list of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. She served as the head of the parliamentary group of the opposition SDP beginning in October 2009.

On April 7, 2010, Otunbayeva was selected as head of a Kyrgyz interim government, following widespread rioting in Bishkek and the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Bakiyev fled the Jalalabad area as the riots became more violent. Unable to rally support, he signed a resignation as president and on April 10, 2010 and left the country for Kazakhstan. Nine days later he went to Minsk, Belarus, where he was given protected-exile status. On April 21 he recanted his resignation and declared that he was still president of Kyrgyzstan. Otunbayeva vowed to bring him to trial.

As interim president Otunbayeva has four male deputies. Otunbayeva is considered to be unusual as there are few women in politics in Kyrgyzstan. Her first conversation after she came to power was with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Otunbayeva has declared that new elections will be called in six months and that she will act as president until then.

With violent protests in support of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev continuing in Jalalabad, the home city of the former President, it was announced on May 19, 2010, by the interim government that elections will be delayed until 2011 and that Otunbayeva was named as President. However, Otunbayeva would be prohibited from running in the presidential election and her term will end on December 31, 2011.

Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan

Yoshihiko Noda (born 20 May 1957) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), a member of the House of Representatives (lower house) in the Diet (national legislature). Formally appointed as the Prime Minister of Japan by the Emperor of Japan on 2 September 2011.

Noda was born in Funabashi, Chiba, as a son of a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and a grandson of local farmers. Unlike many prominent Japanese politicians, Noda has no family connections to Nagatachō. His parents were too poor to pay for a wedding reception.

Noda graduated from Waseda University in 1980 and was later accepted into the prestigious Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, an institution founded by Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita that grooms future civic leaders of Japan. While attending the Matsushita Institute, Noda read household gas meters as a part-time job in his native Chiba Prefecture, partially in order to get to know his future constituents better in preparation for a run for office. He was elected to the assembly of Chiba Prefecture for the first time in 1987 at the age of 29.

In 1993 he was elected to the Diet for first time representing Chiba’s Lower House District #4 as a member of the now-defunct Japan New Party. He later joined the DPJ and served as its Diet affairs chief as well as head of the party’s public relations office. Noda acted as senior vice finance minister when the DPJ won control of the Diet in September 2009.

In June 2010, Noda was appointed as Minister of Finance by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who was also the previous Minister of Finance. Noda is known as a reformist and has led a DPJ intraparty group critical of ex-DPJ Secretary General Ichirō Ozawa.

Upon assuming the post of finance minister, Noda, a fiscal conservative, expressed his determination to slash Japan’s deficit and rein in gross public debt. In January 2011, for the first time in six years, Noda’s finance ministry intervened in the foreign exchange market and spent 2.13 trillion yen to purchase dollars in order to rein in the yen’s spiraling appreciation.

Noda is said to have close relations with the United States, but has a troubled relationship with China, particularly for his refusal to identify Japanese Class A war criminals during World War II as “war criminals”. He has also said that “China’s rapid military buildup pose a serious regional risk, and stressed the importance of the US-Japan security alliance.”

After Kan’s resignation in August 2011, Noda stood as a candidate in the party election to replace him. He won the runoff vote against Banri Kaieda in the leadership election, meaning he would almost certainly become the next prime minister and inherit the challenge of rebuilding from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

In October 2005, Noda criticized Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for his position on Japanese class A war criminals as “war criminals”. However, Noda supported Koizumi’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine. On 15 August 2011—the anniversary of the year for the Surrender of Japan in World War II, he said that Japan’s class A war criminals convicted by the Allies were not legally war criminals under his view.

Noda is married with two children. He is a fan of martial arts and professional wrestling. He has a black belt in judo. During his campaign for the DPJ Presidency in August 2011, Noda compared himself to a dojo loach. “I’ll never be a goldfish in a scarlet robe, but like a loach in muddy waters. I’ll work hard for the people, to move politics forward,” Noda said.

Naoto Kan, Former Prime Minister of Japan (resigned on Aug 26, 2011)

Naoto Kan, Former Prime Minister of Japan

Born on October 10, 1946 in Ube, Yamaguchi. Okayama domicile. Metropolitan Koyamadai high school. Graduated from Faculty of Applied Physics and Technology. House of Representatives. Attorney. Living in Musashino, Tokyo.

1965 in Metropolitan Koyamadai high school.

1970 Graduated from Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology.

In 1971 a patent attorney exam.

1974 Upper House election, Mr.担Gi出Shi Itikawa Husae, served as campaign chairman, to win.

In 1976 he ran unsuccessfully as an independent in the House of Representatives election. Thereafter,in 1977House of Councillors election,1979election and continued lost.

1980 elected House of Representatives. Since then, belong to the Social Democratic Federation, aims to create a force that can compete with the LDP.

1993 elected for five-term election, participate in the governing coalition. He became chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs.

In 1994 joined the New Party Sakigake, became chairman of the party’s policy research. The government seeks to build自社Sa ruling policy.

1996 January, with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto became Minister of Health. Uncover the HIV problem, apologized to the victim as the Minister of Health. September, they formed the Democratic Party with Yukio Hatoyama said, he became party leader.

In April 1998, the Democratic Justice Party (President: Tsutomu Hata), New Fraternity Party (DSP old) and joined, such as The Chairman of the Democratic Party again. July, the ruling party put on過半数割Re election.

In September 1999, he became chairman of the Democratic Party Policy Research.

September 2000, he became secretary general of the Democratic Party.

In December 2002, the top Democrat comeback (~ May 2004).

In September 2003, Liberal Party (leader: Ichiro Ozawa) and merged.November, greatly extending臨Nda seats in the election as a representative to the verge of regime change.

In September 2005, the nine-term election victory of the Democrats to defeat in front of Koizumi’s whirlwind.

In April 2006, he became the Democratic Party acting leader. Ozawa, Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama and support the party.

In July 2007, the Democratic victory in upper house election, the ruling party put on過半数割Re.

2008 was 12Mon, House of Representatives Budget Committee chief director (~09years7month), became president with the Democratic Party in Tokyo.

2009 was 08Monat election10election of the first, historic victory for the Democratic Party finally realize a regime change.09Extraordinary Minister at the Cabinet Office vice minister in charge of the national strategy Hatoyama Cabinet Moon (Science and Technology Policy Economic and Fiscal Policy) officer.

2010 1Mon, Extraordinary Minister of Finance Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet Office (Economic and Fiscal Policy) officer.

Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand

Yingluck Shinawatra (born 21 June 1967), or nickname Pu, is a Thai businesswoman and politician, member of the Pheu Thai Party, and the 28th Prime Minister of Thailand following the 2011 general election. Yingluck is Thailand’s first female Prime Minister.

Born in Chiang Mai province, Yingluck Shinawatra earned bachelor’s degree from Chiang Mai University and master’s degree from Kentucky State University, both in public administration. She became an executive in the businesses founded by her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, and later became the president of property developer SC Asset and managing director of Advanced Info Service. Meanwhile, her brother Thaksin became Prime Minister, was overthrown in a military coup, and went into self-imposed exile after a tribunal convicted him of abuse of power.

In May 2011, the Pheu Thai Party, which maintained close ties to Thaksin, nominated Yingluck as their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2011 general election. Preliminary election result indicated that Pheu Thai won a landslide victory 265 out of 500-seat House of Representatives of Thailand, making it only the second time in Thai political history that a single party won a parliamentary majority.

Yingluck’s great-grandfather, Seng Saekhu, was a overseas Chinese from Guangdong who arrived in Siam in the 1860s and settled in Chiang Mai in 1908. His eldest son, Chiang Saekhu, was born in Chanthaburi province in 1890 and married a Thai woman, called Saeng Somna. Chiang’s eldest son, Sak, adopted the Thai surname Shinawatra (“routinely appropriate action”) in 1938. The Khu/Shinawatra later founded Shinawatra Silks and then moved into finance, construction and real estate development. Yingluck’s father, Lert, was born at Chiang Mai in 1919 and married Yindi Ramingwong (a daughter of Princess Jantip Na Chiang Mai). In 1968, Lert Shinawatra entered politics and became an MP for Chiang Mai and deputy leader of the now-defunct Liberal party. Left quit politics in 1976 and opened a coffee shop, grew oranges and flowers in Chiang Mai’s San Kamphaeng district, and opened two movie theatres, a gas station, and a car and motorcycle dealership.

Yingluck Shinawatra is the youngest of nine children of Lert and Yindee. She was given the nickname Pou (Thai: ปู, meaning “crab”). Yingluck grew up in Chiang Mai and attended Regina Coeli College, a girls school, at the lower secondary level and then Yupparaj College, a co-ed school, at the upper secondary level.[8] She graduated with a BA degree from the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University in 1988 and earned a MPA degree (specialization in Management Information Systems) from Kentucky State University in 1991.

Yingluck started her career as a sales and marketing intern at Shinawatra Directories Co., Ltd., a telephone directory business founded by AT&T International. She later became the director of procurement and the director of operations. In 1994, she became the general manager of Rainbow Media, a subsidiary of International Broadcasting Corporation (which later became TrueVisions). She left as Deputy CEO of IBC in 2002, and became the CEO of Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand’s largest mobile phone operator. After the sale of Shin Corporation (the parent company of AIS) to Temasek Holdings, Yingluck resigned from AIS, but remained Managing Director of SC Asset Co Ltd, the Shinawatra family property development company. She was investigated by Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission regarding possible insider trading after she sold shares of her AIS stock for a profit prior to the sale of the Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings. No charges were filed.[10] Yingluck Shinawatra is also a committee member and secretary of the Thaicom Foundation.
She has one son, Supasek, with her common-law husband, Anusorn Amornchat. Anusorn was an executive of the Charoen Pokphand Group and managing director of M Link Asia Corporation PCL. Her sister, Yaowapa Wongsawat, is the wife of former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Source: Wikipedia

Abhisit Vejjajiva, Former Prime Minister of Thailand

Abhisit Vejjajiva, Former Prime Minister of Thailand

Abhisit Vejjajiva, born (3 August 1964) is the incumbent Prime Minister of Thailand. He has been the leader of the Democrat Party since February 2005, first serving as opposition leader in the House of Representatives of Thailand, which on 15 December 2008, elected him the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand. Vejjajiva, was formally endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as Prime Minister on 17 December 2008.Abhisit was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England to a family of Thai physicians. He was educated at Eton and Oxford and successfully ran for MP of Bangkok under the Democrat Party following the 1991 NPKC military coup. He quickly rose through party ranks before failing in a bid to become party leader in 2001. He was appointed party leader after the Democrat Party’s overwhelming defeat in the 2005 elections.

During the 2005-2006 Thai political crisis, Abhisit called for King Bhumibol to find a replacement for then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Under Abhisit’s leadership, senior Democrat Party members accused Thaksin of what they called the Finland Plot, a supposed plan by Thaksin to overthrow Bhumibol. Abhisit boycotted the 2006 elections and by-elections, claiming that the elections were just a means to “divert public attention” from the Shin Corp scandal. Abhisit voiced displeasure at the 2006 coup that overthrew Thaksin, but otherwise did not protest it or the military junta that ruled Thailand for over a year. A fact-finding panel at the Attorney-General’s Office found that the Democrat Party bribed other parties to boycott the 2006 elections to force a constitutional crisis, and voted to dissolve the party. A junta tribunal acquitted Abhisit and the Democrats of the vote fraud charges, while banning Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party for similar charges. Abhisit supported the junta’s 2007 Constitution, calling it an improvement on the 1997 Constitution. He promised to amend any constitutional deficiencies if he won junta-administered elections in December 2007. However, despite a new populist policy platform, the Democrat Party lost the 2007 election to the People’s Power Party. In the crisis that followed, several senior members of the Democrat Party became leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which seized Government House, Don Muang Airport, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, while engaging in violent clashes with police and anti-PAD protesters. Abhisit voiced displeasure at sieges, but did not stop his Democrat Party deputies from their roles in the PAD. At the height of the airport sieges, the PAD openly said that the only person they would accept as Premier was Abhisit. The sieges ended when the Constitutional Court banned the People’s Power Party. Several members of the PPP defected to the Democrat Party, allowing Abhisit to form a government and become Prime Minister of Thailand. Army commander and co-leader of the 2006 coup, General Anupong Paochinda, was widely reported to have encouraged or coerced MPs to defect. PAD leader Khamnoon Sitthisamarn and junta-appointed Senator called Abhisit’s premiership a “genuine PAD victory” and a “Anupong-style coup d’etat.”The circumstances of his ascent to power closely linked Abhisit to the Bangkok elite, the Army and the Royal Palace.

Mr. Somchai Wongsawat, Former Prime Minister of Thailand

Date of Birth August 31, 1947
Marital Status Married
Address 100/159 Soi 23/2 Chonlada Village, Bangkruay – Sainoi Rd.,
Bangbuathong, Nonthaburi

Educational Background
2002 Master of Public Administration (Public and Private Management
(MPPM)), National Institute of Development Administration
1996 National Defense College of Thailand
1973 Barrister-at-Law, the Thai Bar
1970 Bachelor of Laws, Thammasat University

Work Experience
February 6, 2008 – Present Minister of Education
2008 Committee Member of the Thai Bar under the patronage of His Majesty
the King
2007 Member of the House of Representatives (Party List)
2007 Deputy Leader of People Power Party
March, 8-September, 2006 Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour
November 11, 1999 – March, 2006 Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
1998-1999 Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
1997 Chief Justice, Court of Appeal Region II
1993 Justice, Court of Appeal Region III
1990 Chief Justice, Thonburi Criminal Court
1989 Chief Justice, Nonthaburi Court
1988 Chief Justice, Chonburi Court
1987 Chief Justice, Rayong Juvenile Court
1986 Chief Justice, Pang-nga Court
1983 Judge, Chiangrai Court
1977 Judge, Chiangmai Court
1976 Judge, Chiangmai-Kwaeng Court
1975 Judge, Ministry of Justice
1974 Assistant Judge, Ministry of Justice

Other experience
1999-2006
Chairman of Committee (Laws field), National Research Council of Thailand
Member of Board, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
Member of Board, Electricity Generating Public Company Limited
Member of Board, Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited
Member of Board, PTT Public Company Limited
Member of Board, Airport of Thailand Company Limited
Member of Board, Thai Oil Public Company Limited
Member of Committee, Office of the Narcotics Control Board
Member of Committee, Anti Money Laundering Board
Member of Committee, the Council of State
Member of Committee, Board of Royal Thai Police
Member of Committee, the Civil Service Commission
Member of Committee, Attorney Commission
Member of Committee, Judiciary Commission
Member of Committee, the Government Lottery Office

Decorations
1999 Chakrabarti Mala Medal
1997 Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White
Elephant
1992 Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown
of Thailand
1989 Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White
Elephant
1986 Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of
Thailand
1984 Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White
Elephant
1980 Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of
Thailand

Surayut Chulanon, Former Prime Minister of Thailand
Date of Birth

+ 28 August 1943

Marital Status

+ Married to Colonel Khunying Chitravadee Chulanont, WRTA

Education

+ Royal Thai Military Academy (B.S.)
+ Infantry Center School
+ Joint Staff College, Thailand
+ Joint Staff College, USA
+ Resource Management Program, Ministry of Defence, USA
+ National Defence College (1993)

Previous Position

# Privy Councillor (from 14 November 2003)
# Member of the Executive Committee of the Anandamahidol Foundation (2003)
# Supreme Commander
# Commander in Chief, Royal Thai Army
# Commanding General, Second Army Area
# Commanding General, Special Warfare Command

Thai Decorations

# Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, higher grade) of the Most Illustrious Oder of Chula Chom Kloa (2001)

# Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (1995)
# Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (1992)
# Member of “The Rama Medal” of the Honorable Order of Rama (1990)
# Freeman Safeguarding Medal (First Class) (1974)

Truong Tan Sang, President of Vietnam

Trương Tấn Sang (born on 21 January 1949) is the current president of Vietnam and the senior member of the politburo, the executive committee of the ruling Communist Party. He was ranked as the party’s number one leader following the 11th National Congress held in Hanoi in January 2011. He became state president following a vote of the National Assembly in July. Sang has been a member of the politburo since 1996. He was party secretary for Ho Chi Minh City from 1996 to 2000. He was promoted to the national party’s number two slot in October 2009. To get the top slot, he had to outmaneuver Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Sang was born January 21, 1949 in Mỹ Hạnh, Đức Hòa, Long An. His nickname is “Tư Sang”. He joined the Communist Party in 1969. He was taken prisoner by the South Vietnamese government in 1971 and released under the Paris Peace Treaty in 1973. He has a bachelor of law. In 1992, he became party chairman for Ho Chi Minh City, the number two position in the city government. He joined the politburo in 1996 as its 14th ranking member. He was party secretary for Ho Chi Minh City, the top position in the city government, from 1996 to 2000. He was promoted to 10th position in the national party at a congress in April 2001. He was also appointed head of the party’s economic commission at this time. In 2003, he was reprimanded for failing from to act in the Nam Cam corruption scandal when he headed the city government. He was promoted to fifth position in the party at a congress in April 2006. At this congress, he was also appointed head of the party’s Secretariat, which supervises the membership and internal structure of the party.

In an unusual move, Sang was promoted to the party’s number two slot between congresses in October 2009. His authority soon “eclipsed” that of General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, the only person nominally above Sang in the party hierarchy, according to a leaked diplomatic cable by U.S. Ambassador Michael Michalak. Sang “assumed many of Manh’s normal responsibilities,” Michalak wrote. At diplomatic meetings, Sang could, “comment authoritatively, in detail and without notes”, whereas Manh “appeared disengaged” while he read a 30-minute prepared statement “verbatim and in a monotone.” To get the top slot at the 2011 congress, Sang had to outmaneuver Prime Minister Dung. Michalak described both Sang and Dung as “pragmatic” and “market-oriented”. Both are southerners, but traditionally the party’s top slot has gone to a northerner. Nguyen Phu Trong, a northerner, was selected secretary general at the Congress. In the past, the office of general secretary was the party’s top position, but Trong is ranked only No. 8 on the leadership list. The National Assembly elected Sang as state president on 25 July 2011. This position is merely ceremonial compared to that of senior politburo member, which Sang already holds.

Nguyen Minh Triet, Former President of Vietnam

Nguyen Minh Triet, Former President of Vietnam

Nguyen Minh Triet was re-elected State President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam at the on-going first session of the 12th National Assembly on July 24.

Following is his brief biography:
- Born on October 8, 1942.
- Native land: Phu An Commune, Ben Cat District, Binh Duong province
- Admitted to the Communist Party of Viet Nam on March 30, 1965. Became full Party member on March 30, 1966.
- Education: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.Summary of his career:
- 1960 to November 1963: Student majoring in Mathematics at university, took part in the Sai Gon Students’ Movement, assumed tasks at the revolutionary base in charge of the Sai Gon-Gia Dinh area.
- December 1963 to 1973: Cadre of the Central Committee of the People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and the Inspection Section of the Party Central Committee’s Department for South Vietnam , and Secretary of the Agency’s Youth Union, and battlefield in My Tho province.

- 1974 to August 1979: Deputy Director of General Affairs Department of the Youth Union , Deputy Chief of the Youth Union Central Committee’s Board for Voluntary Young People.
- September 1979 to July 1981: Trainee at the High-level Nguyen Ai Quoc Party School.
- July 1981 to December 1987: Head of the Youth Union Central Committee’s Board for Voluntary Young People, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Youth Union Central Committee in HCM City, member of the Youth Union Central Committee’s Executive Board, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, Deputy President and General Secretary of the Viet Nam Youth Union.
- January 1988 to September 1989: Complementarily elected to the Party Committee of southern Song Be province.
- October 1989 to December 1991: Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Song Be province, elected member of the Party Central Committee at the seventh National Party Congress (June 1991).
- December 1991 to December 1996: Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee of Song Be province, elected to the Communist Party Central Committee at the eighth National Party Congress, and deputy to the ninth National Assembly.
- January 1997 to December 1997: Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.
- December 1997 to January 2000: Elected to the Party’s Politburo at the fourth Conference of the eighth Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Party Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation.
- January 2000 to June 2006: Politburo member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.
-May 2002 to June 2006: deputy to the 11th National Assembly.
-June 2006: elected State President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam at the ninth session of the 11th National Assembly. – (VNA)

Nông Đức Mạnh, Former President of Vietnam

Nông Đức Mạnh, Former President of Vietnam

Nông Đức Mạnh (born on 11 September 1940 (age 66) in Cuong Loi, Na Ri District, Bac Kan province, Vietnam, Asia) is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). He has held that position since 22 April 2001 and was reappointed in April 2006.
Mạnh’s official biography says that he was the son of peasants of the Tay ethnic group and that he was born on 11 September 1940 in Cuong Loi, Na Ri District, Bac Kan province. He began his career as a forestry worker and joined the revolution in 1958.

From 1962 to 1963, Mạnh was working as forest supervisory technician in Bac Can Forestry Service. He was admitted to the CPV on 5 July 1963 and became an official member of the CPV on 10 July 1964.

From 1963 to 1965, Mạnh was the deputy chief of the Bach Thong wood exploiting team. He then returned to studies, and was taught Russian language at Hanoi Foreign Languages College 1965-1966. He then travelled to Leningrad, Soviet Union, were he studied at the Forestry Institute until 1971. After returning to Vietnam, he became the deputy head of the Bac Thai provicial forestry inspection board.

From 1973 to 1974, Mạnh served as director of the Phu Loung State Forestry Camp in Bac Thai province.

From 1974 to 1976, Mạnh studied at the Nguyen Ai Qouc High-Level Party School.

From 1976 to 1980, Mạnh served as the deputy director of the provincial forestry service and director of the construction company of the provincial forestry service.

Rising with the party ranks, Mạnh was a member of the Bac Thai Provinicial Party Committee from 1976 to 1983.

In 1984, Mạnh became the deputy secretary of the committee, and in November 1986, the secretary of the committee. At the 6th national party congress he was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee. At the 6th party plenum in March 1989, he was elevated to full central committee member. Since 1991 he has been sitting in the politburo of the party.

There have been persistent rumors that Mạnh is the son of Hồ Chí Minh. In April 2001, after he was selected to head the Communist Party, a reporter at a news conference asked him to confirm or deny the rumors. He said “All Vietnamese people are the children of Uncle Ho.” When asked again about the rumor in January 2002 by a Time Asia reporter, he denied the rumors but added that all Vietnamese people consider Hồ Chí Minh their spiritual father.

Many view him as a modernizer, and he has announced that he wants Vietnam to become an industrialized country by 2020.

Thein Sein, Prime Minister of Myanmar (Burma)

Thein Sein (born 20 April 1945) is the current prime minister of Burma (officially Myanmar). He was appointed in April 2007 by the nation’s ruling military junta as interim prime minister, replacing Soe Win, who was undergoing medical treatment. Thein Sein became Soe Win’s permanent successor on 24 October 2007 after Soe Win’s death on 12 October 2007.

Thein Sein held the position of first secretary in the ruling State Peace and Development Council junta. He is the country’s fourth-highest ranking general, and also serves as the chairman of the government-sponsored National Convention Convening Commission. Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with Bangladesh and Cambodia.

Sometime after his official appointment as prime minister, he was promoted to the rank of full general from lieutenant general. On his first official visit outside Myanmar as prime minister, Thein Sein carried out high-level negotiations with Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Than Shwe, General of Myanmar (Burma)

Than Shwe, General of Myanmar (Burma)

Senior General Than Shwe (born 2 February 1933) is the dictator of Myanmar (Burma), serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw and chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) since 23 April 1992. SPDC is the name of the former State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), established in 1988. He is also the head of Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). These positions and titles effectively amount to Than Shwe being what is generally referred to as the “head” of Myanmar’s ruling military junta.

On 27 August 2010, rumors surfaced that Than Shwe and and his deputy, Gen. Maung Aye, along with six other top military officers, had resigned their military posts, and that he was expected to remain head of state until at least the end of the 2011 fiscal year, when he would transfer his position to the elected president. The rumor was proven false as the Burmese state media referred to him as Senior General three days later

Than Shwe was born in Minzu village, near Kyaukse, Mandalay Province, British Burma. After working as a postman he enlisted in the Burmese army, where he participated in the government’s powerful counter-insurgency campaign against ethnic-Karen guerrillas in eastern Burma.

After the military coup in 1962 by General Ne Win, Than Shwe continued to rise steadily through the ranks. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1972, Colonel in 1978, Commander of the South West Regional Command in 1983, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Brigadier-General and Deputy Minister of Defence in 1985 and then Major-General in 1986.

He also obtained a seat on the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party’s Central Executive Committee.

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) was created after the military organised another coup in response to the democracy uprising of 1988, and Than Shwe was appointed as one of 21 members of the cabinet headed by General Saw Maung.

On 23 April 1992, Saw Maung unexpectedly resigned, citing health reasons, and Than Shwe replaced him as Chairman of the Council, head of state, Secretary of Defence and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

He is known to be a diabetic, and he is rumoured to have intestinal cancer. He rarely makes public appearances.

Than Shwe flew to Singapore on 31 December 2006. Concerns about Than’s health intensified after he failed to appear at an official Independence Day dinner for military leaders, officials, and diplomats on 4 January 2007. It was the first time since he took power in 1992 that Than did not host the annual dinner. Than Shwe had checked out of Singapore’s General Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment, and returned to Burma two weeks later.

In 2006, a home video footage of Than Shwe’s daughter Thandar Shwe’s wedding was leaked on the Internet, which sparked controversy and criticism from Burmese and foreign media for the lavish and seemingly ostentatious reception.

After days of anti-government protests, there were unconfirmed reports that Than Shwe’s wife and pets fled the country on 27 September 2007, possibly to Laos.

Than Shwe ranked No. 4 on Parade Magazine’s 2009 “World’s Worst Dictators” list.

Jhala Nath Khanal, Prime Minister of Nepal (elected on Feb 3, 2011)

Jhala Nath Khanal (born 20 May 1950) is a Nepalese politician who has been Prime Minister of Nepal since February 2011. He is Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN (UML)) and Leader of Constituent Assembly Parliamentary Party of CPN (UML).

Born on May 20, 1950 at Sakhejung in Ilam district, Khanal was a member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist). and was its General Secretary from 1982 to 1986. Later, he was a member of the CPN (UML).

Khanal won the seat of Ilam-1 constituency in 2008 Constituent Assembly election. He led the CPN (UML) as General Secretary from 2008 to February 2009. He was elected as the Chairman of the CPN (UML) on February 16, 2009.

He served for a time as Minister of Information and Communication.

On 3 February 2011, after seven months of political gridlock in the country, Jhala Nath Khanal was elected Prime Minister of Nepal by the Parliament.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, Former Prime Minister of Nepal

Madhav Kumar Nepal, Former Prime Minister of Nepal

1953: born in Gaur-8 Rautahat district

Marital status: Married, survive with wife, one daughter and one son

1968: worked in civil and banking service
1969: became member of the Communist Party of Nepal (PL Group)

1973: graduated in management from Tribhuvan University

1974: quit civil and banking career

1976: arrested under Treason Act and imprisoned for two years

1978: became founding politburo member of the CPN-ML

1990: worked as a member of the central high command for the People’s Movement and a member of the Constitution Recommendation Commission

1991: served as a leader of the opposition party in the upper house for the next seven years

1993: took on the responsibility of the party’s General Secretary

1994: served as deputy prime minister, defense and foreign affairs minister

1999: elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Rautahat

2008: quit the post of the party general secretary after defeat in the Constituent Assembly elections

May 25, 2009: took office of the Prime Minister of Nepal

LINK: http://www.nepalmountainnews.com

Ram Baran YADAV, President of Nepal

Ram Baran YADAV, President of Nepal

Baran Yadav became Nepal’s first president following his victory in the presidential run-off in the country’s powerful assembly.

Yadav was born on 4 February 1948 in the small village of Sapahi in Dhanusha district in south-eastern Nepal and was the fourth son of Thani and Ramrita Yadav.

He received his schooling and higher education in Kathmandu before pursuing his interest in medicine in India.

Yadav completed his MBBS from Calcutta Medical College in India and then went on to receive his MD from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh of India.

Although a successful medical doctor, Yadav was never far from politics.
He began his association with Nepalese politics when he led anti- government protests as a student leader in 1960 following the outlawing of political parties by the then king Mahendra.

Yadav was at the forefront of every pro-democracy movement the country has seen in the past 30 years.

He served two terms as the health minister in the 1990s and currently is the Nepali Congress general secretary.

Yadav represents the ethnic Madhsi community of southern Nepal.
His election as the country’s first president was a twist of fate and an unexpected development following a new alliance between the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and the ethnic Madhesi People’s Rights Forum.

The alliance sprung up just a day before the end of the deadline to nominate candidates after CPN-UML and the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum accused the Maoists of betrayal.

LINK: http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Girija Prasad Koirala, Former Prime Minister of Nepal

Date of Birth :
1925 A. D.

Parents:
Late Mr K.P. Koirala
Late Mrs divya Koirala

Daughter:
Ms Sujata Koirala

Designation:
Prime Minister of Nepal
President, Nepali Congress Party

Political Background:
Started political career joining the Indian Freedom Struggle and the historic Nepalese Revolution against Rana regime by organizing the first Labour’s Movement in Biratnagar Jute Mill in 1947-48.

1948  Founding Member and President of Nepal Trade Union Congress (erstwhile Nepal  Mazdoor Congress).

1952-1960 President, Morang District, Nepali Congress 1960-1967    Imprisoned after 1960 coup. Spent seven years in prison, During the jail, sustained 21 days Hunger Strike.

1968 Exiled in India along with senior Nepali Congress Party leaders and workers.

1979 Returned to Nepal with the Programme of National Reconciliation propounded by
B.P. Koirala.

1975-1991  General Secretary of Nepali Congress Party.

1987  Senior Leader of the peaceful “Satyagraha” (Civil Disobedience) movement and put under “house arrest” for nine months. 1990 Senior Leader and Nepali Congress Party General Secretary during the popular “Jana Andolan” (Mass Movement), which restored the Multi Party System in Nepal.

1991 Elected Member, House of Representatives from Morang-1 and Sunsari-5.

1991 Elected as leader of Parliamentary Party of Nepali Congress Party.

1991-1994 Appointed as Prime Minister of Nepal.

1994 Elected Member, House of Representatives from Morang-1 and Sunsari-5 in mid-term election.

1995 Elected as President of Nepali Congress Party.

1997 Elected as Leader of the Parliamentary Party of Nepali Congress Party.

1998-1999 Prime Minister of Nepal.

1999 Elected Member, House of Representatives from Morang-1 and Sunsari

2000 Elected as Leader of the Parliamentary Party of Nepali Congress Party.

2000 Elected as Prime Minister of Nepal.

2001 Elected as President of Nepali Congress Party.

2005 Elected as President of Nepali Congress Party.

2006 Leader of People’s Movement initiated by Seven Party Alliance (SPA)

2006 April 28
Prime Minister of Nepal.

Hobbies:
Reading contemporary biographies of renowned political personalities, short stories, political memoirs.

Benigno S. Aquino III, President of Philippines

Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (born February 8, 1960) also known as Noynoy Aquino is the fifteenth President of the Philippines and is concurrently the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Aquino is a fourth-generation politician: his great-grandfather, Servillano “Mianong” Aquino, served as a delegate to the Malolos Congress; his grandfather, Benigno Aquino, Sr., held several legislative positions from 1919–44; and his parents were former President Corazon Aquino and former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. Aquino is a member of the Liberal Party.

Born in Manila, Aquino graduated from Ateneo de Manila University in 1981 and joined his family in their exile in the United States shortly thereafter. He returned to the Philippines in 1983 shortly after the assassination of his father and held several positions working in the private sector. In 1998, he was elected to the House of Representatives as Representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac province. He was subsequently re-elected to the House in 2001 and 2004. In 2007, having been barred from running for re-election to the House due to the term limit, he was elected to the Senate in the 14th Congress of the Philippines.

Following the death of his mother on August 1, 2009, many people began calling on Aquino to run for president. On September 9, 2009, Aquino officially announced he would be a candidate in the 2010 presidential election, held on May 10, 2010.

On June 9, 2010, the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Aquino the winner of the 2010 presidential election.
On June 30, 2010, at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Aquino was sworn into office as the fifteenth President of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, by Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III was born on February 8, 1960 in Manila. Aquino is the third of the five children of Benigno Aquino, Jr., who was then the Vice Governor of Tarlac province, and Corazon Aquino. He has four sisters, Maria Elena (Ballsy) Aquino-Cruz, Aurora Corazon (Pinky) Aquino-Abellada, Victoria Eliza (Viel) Aquino-Dee, and Kristina Bernadette (Kris) Aquino-Yap. He is also the first bachelor Philippine President.
From 1965 to 1981, Aquino attended Ateneo de Manila University from elementary to college.

Eleven months after Aquino’s father, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., was arrested and detained for “advocating the overthrow of the government by force or violence”, Ninoy was brought before a military tribunal in Moran Hall, Fort Bonifacio in August 1973. On August 25, 1973, Ninoy wrote a letter to his son, Noynoy from Fort Bonifacio at 11:10 p.m., giving advice to his son;

“The only advice I can give you: Live with honor and follow your conscience.

There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength.

Son, the ball is now in your hands.”

In 1981, Aquino graduated from Ateneo de Manila University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Shortly after graduation, Aquino joined his family in Newton, Massachusetts, in exile.

In 1983, after two years in exile in the United States, Aquino returned to the Philippines with his family, shortly after the assassination of his father on August 21, 1983. Aquino had a short tenure as a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, working as an assistant of the executive director of PBSP. Aquino later joined Mondragon Industries Philippines, Inc. as an assistant Retail Sales Supervisor and assistant promotions manager for Nike Philippines, Inc.

From 1986 to 1992, during the presidency of his mother, Aquino joined the Intra-Strata Assurance Corporation, a company owned by his uncle Antolin Oreta Jr., as vice president.

On August 28, 1987, eighteen months into the presidency of Aquino’s mother, rebel soldiers led by Gregorio Honasan staged an unsuccessful coup attempt, attempting to siege Malacañang Palace. Aquino was two blocks from the palace when he came under fire. Three of Aquino’s four security escorts were killed, and the last was wounded protecting him. Aquino himself was hit by five bullets, one of which is still embedded in his neck.

From 1993 to 1998, Aquino worked for Central Azucarera de Tarlac, the sugar refinery in charge of the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita, as the executive assistant for administration from 1993 to 1996, then Aquino worked as manager for field services from 1996 to 1998

Ali Abdallah Salih, President of Yemen

1942: Born in Bayt al-Ahmar as a member of the Sanhan tribe of the Hashid tribe.
1958: Joins the army only 16 years old.
1962 September 26: Saleh leads a coup that replaces the Muslim monarchy of North Yemen with a civilian government.

1974: Saleh takes part in the coup that brings Ibrahim al-Hamdi to power as president.

1978 April: Assists the chairman of the Military Council, Ahmad Ghashmi in his crushing of a rebellion staged by rival officers. Saleh is appointed commander-in-chief of the army.— June: Ghashmi is assassinated, and Saleh is appointed chief of staff and member of the Presidential Council.
— July 17: Is elected president by 76 of the 96 members of the People’s Constituent Assembly.

— October An attempted coup by troops in the army is stopped.1980: Saleh and the rebellious forces of the National Democratic Front (NDF) makes a deal about a national unity government with land reform and non-aligned foreign policy as the main political issues. Saleh would not keep his promise of inviting NDF into the government.
— August: After that Saudi Arabia had stopped their US$300 billion annual aid to Yemen, Saleh manages through a visit to get a partial resumption of the aid.
— October: Replaces Prime minister Ghani with Abdul Karim Iryani.
1981 October: Forms the General People’s Congress (GPC) with 1,000 members, most by appointment and the rest by indirect election. This would develop into a political party.
1983: Reelected as president. Saleh calls Ghani back as Prime minister.
1984: Signs a Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with the Soviet Union.
1988: Reelected as president.
1989: Brings North Yemen into the Arab Cooperation Council together with Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
1990 May 22: North and South Yemen unites, with Saleh becoming the country’s president, while the president of South Yemen becomes Vice President.
1991: Following Yemen’s refusal to join the alliance against Iraq in the Gulf War, Saudi Arabia imposes heavy sanctions on Yemen, damaging the country’s economy.
1993: Saleh’s party, GPC, becomes the largest party in the parliament with 123 of 301 seats.
1994 May 5-July 7: Civil war between the south and north, which Saleh wins. The victory earned him great popularity in the areas of former North Yemen.
1999 September: The first direct elections for president gives Saleh 96% of the votes, but most of the opposition boycotts the election.