• January 29 - King Bhumibol Adulyadej
  Bhumibol Adulyadej
  Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
  
   swears in Samak Sundaravej
  Samak Sundaravej
  Samak Sundaravej was a Thai Chinese politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the People's Power Party in 2008.-Early life and family:...
  
   as the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

February

• February 2 - Rebels attack
  Battle of N'Djamena (2008)
  The Battle of N'Djamena began on February 2, 2008 when Chadian rebel forces opposed to Chadian President Idriss Déby entered N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after a three-day advance through the country. The rebels were initially successful, taking a large part of the city and attacking the heavily...
  
   the capital of Chad
  Chad
  Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
  
  , N'Djamena
  N'Djamena
  N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...
  
  .
• February 3 - Boris Tadić
  Boris Tadic
  Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
  
   is reelected in the second round of the Serbian presidential elections
  Serbian presidential election, 2008
  A pre-term presidential election was held in Serbia on January 20 and February 3, 2008. Incumbent President Boris Tadić was reelected as President of Serbia in the second round with 51.61 percent of the votes cast, defeating challenger Tomislav Nikolić....
  
  .
• February 3 - Parliamentary elections
  Monegasque parliamentary election, 2008
  Parliamentary elections were held in Monaco on 3 February 2008. The incumbent government was reelected, though with a reduced margin of victory; the number of seats won remained the same as in the 2003 election for the two coalitions which won seats....
  
   in Monaco
  Monaco
  Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
  
  .
• February 4 - A Palestinian
  Palestinian people
  The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
  
   suicide bomber
  Suicide attack
  A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
  
   kills one and wounds thirteen in a Dimona
  Dimona
  Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
  
  , Israel shopping center.

• February 5 - Super Tuesday
  Super Tuesday, 2008
  Super Tuesday 2008, Super Duper Tuesday, Mega Tuesday, Giga Tuesday, Tsunami Tuesday, and The Tuesday of Destiny are names for February 5, 2008, the day on which the largest simultaneous number of state U.S. presidential primary elections in the history of U.S. primaries were held...
  
  , massive multi-state primary in U.S. presidential election
  United States presidential election, 2008
  The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
  
  , with primaries and caucuses in 24 states, is held.
• January 5 - Mikheil Saakashvili
  Mikheil Saakashvili
  Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
  
   is reelected following early presidential elections
  Georgian presidential election, 2008
  A presidential election was held in Georgia on January 5, 2008, having been brought forward by President Mikheil Saakashvili after the 2007 Georgian demonstrations from the original date in autumn 2008....
  
   in Georgia
  Georgia (country)
  Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
  
  .
• February 7 - General election called for Belize's 31 House seats
  Belizean legislative election, 2008
  A legislative election was held in the nation of Belize on February 7, 2008. Beginning with this election, Belizeans elected to the House of Representatives 31 members instead of 29...
  
  ; a referendum
  Belizean constitutional referendum, 2008
  A national referendum, the nation's first, was held in Belize on February 7, 2008, coinciding with the 2008 general elections.The question asked was: "Should the Senate of Belize be elected?"- Background :...
  
   to be held simultaneously to determine whether the upper house
  Senate of Belize
  The Senate is one of the chambers of the National Assembly. It has 12 members appointed for a five year term by the Governor General.- Establishment and appointment :Senators are appointed by the Governor General in the following manner:...
  
   should be elected.
• February 11 - President
  President of East Timor
  The President of East Timor is the Head of state of the East Timorese republic, elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The role is largely symbolic, though he is able to veto some legislation. Following elections, the president appoints as the prime minister, the leader of the majority party...
  
   of East Timor
  East Timor
  The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
  
   José Ramos-Horta is seriously wounded in an attack on his home by rebel soldiers. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed by Ramos-Horta's security guards during the attack.
• February 13 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
  Kevin Rudd
  Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
  
   of Australia delivers a formal apology to the Stolen Generations.
• February 13 - Prime Minister of Malaysia
  Prime Minister of Malaysia
  The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
  
   Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
  Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
  Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
  
   dissolves the Malaysian parliament.
• February 16 - Václav Klaus
  Václav Klaus
  Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
  
   is reelected
  Czech presidential election, 2008
  Elections of the President of the Czech Republic by the Parliament of the Czech Republic were held on Friday 8 February and Saturday 9 February 2008, to select a successor to incumbent Václav Klaus' for a five-year term beginning on 7 March 2008...
  
   as the President
  President of the Czech Republic
  The President of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic. Unlike his counterparts in Austria and Hungary, who are generally considered figureheads, the Czech President has a considerable role in political affairs...
  
   of the Czech Republic
  Czech Republic
  The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
  
  .

• February 17 - Kosovo
  Kosovo
  Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
  
   formally declares independence
  2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
  The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted on 17 February 2008 by individual members of the Assembly of Kosovo acting in personal capacity and not binding to the Assembly itself...
  
   from Serbia
  Serbia
  Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
  
  , despite opposition from Serbia, Russia, China
  People's Republic of China
  China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
  
  , Spain, Romania
  Romania
  Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
  
  , and other nations. However Albania
  Albania
  Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
  
  , Belgium, Croatia
  Croatia
  Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
  
  , France, Germany, Italy, U.K.
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
  , and United States express support after an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council
  United Nations Security Council
  The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
  
  .
• February 17 - Presidential election
  Cypriot presidential election, 2008
  A presidential election was held in Cyprus on 17 February 2008, with the second round held on 24 February 2008. The second-round winner, and thus the President of Cyprus for the next term, is Dimitris Christofias....
  
   in Cyprus
  Cyprus
  Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
  
  .
• February 18 - General election
  Pakistani general election, 2008
  A general election was held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008, after being postponed from 8 January 2008. The original date was intended to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora...
  
   is held in Pakistan, delayed from January 8 due to riots in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto
  Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
  The assassination of Benazir Bhutto occurred on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan and then-leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, had been campaigning ahead of elections due in January 2008...
  
  . Opposition parties, including Bhutto's, take more than half of the seats, while President
  President of Pakistan
  The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
  
   Pervez Musharraf
  Pervez Musharraf
  Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
  
  's party suffers a huge defeat.
• February 19 - Presidential election
  Armenian presidential election, 2008
  A presidential election was held in Armenia on 19 February 2008. Prime Minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan won the election in the first round according to official results, but this is disputed by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian, who officially placed second.The candidacy of Sargsyan was...
  
   in Armenia
  Armenia
  Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
  
  .
• February 19 - After 49 years in office, Fidel Castro
  Fidel Castro
  Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
  
   announces his resignation as President of Cuba.
• February 21 - Hundreds of thousands of Serbs
  Serbia
  Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
  
   take to the streets in Belgrade
  Belgrade
  Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
  
   to protest
  2008 protests in Serbia
  Kosovo is Serbia protests followed the 2008 proclamation of independence by Kosovo on February 17, 2008.The Prime Minister of Serbia, Vojislav Koštunica, blamed the United States for being "ready to violate the international order for its own military interests" and stated that "Today, this policy...
  
   against Kosovo
  Kosovo
  Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
  
  's declaration of independence and the partial international recognition
  International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
  Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia was enacted on Sunday, 17 February 2008 by the Assembly of Kosovo with a unanimous quorum. All 11 representatives of the Serb minority boycotted the proceedings...
  
   of it.
• February 22 – The Australian Parliament descends into chaos with opposition frontbenchers ejected, question time suspended, and speakers unable to control the house. A cardboard cut-out of the Prime Minister is brought into the parliament by opposition members angry about sitting time on a Friday.

• February 24 - Raúl Castro
  Raúl Castro
  Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who has been President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008; he previously exercised presidential powers in an acting capacity from 2006 to 2008...
  
   is unanimously elected as President of Cuba
  President of Cuba
  --209.174.31.28 18:43, 22 November 2011 The President of Cuba is the Head of state of Cuba. According to the Cuban Constitution of 1976, the President is the chief executive of the Council of State of Cuba...
  
   by the National Assembly.
• February 24 - Dimitris Christofias
  Dimitris Christofias
  Dimitris Christofias also Demetris is a left-wing Greek Cypriot politician and the current and sixth President of the Republic of Cyprus. Christofias was the General Secretary of AKEL and is Cyprus's first, and the European Union's first and so far only, communist head of state. He won the 2008...
  
   is elected President of Cyprus after the second round of voting in the country's presidential election
  Cypriot presidential election, 2008
  A presidential election was held in Cyprus on 17 February 2008, with the second round held on 24 February 2008. The second-round winner, and thus the President of Cyprus for the next term, is Dimitris Christofias....
  
  .
• February 25 - Lee Myung-bak
  Lee Myung-bak
  Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
  
   starts his five-year term as the 17th President of South Korea
  President of South Korea
  The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
  
  .
• February 27 - Jemaah Islamiyah
  Jemaah Islamiyah
  Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
  
   leader Mas Selamat bin Kastari
  Mas Selamat bin Kastari
  Mas Selamat bin Kastari , an Indonesian-born Singaporean, was for more than a year Singapore's most-wanted fugitive after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. The search for him has been described as the largest manhunt ever launched in Singapore...
  
   escapes from a detention center in Singapore.
• February 28 - Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra
  Thaksin Shinawatra
  Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
  
   is arrested on corruption charges upon returning to Thailand
  Thailand
  Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
  
   after months of exile.

March

• March 1 - In Gaza Strip
  Gaza Strip
  thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
  
   at least 52 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers are killed in the most intense Israeli air strikes since 2005.
• March 2 - 2008 Russian presidential election
  Russian presidential election, 2008
  The Russian Presidential election of 2008, held on March 2, 2008 resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev, whose candidacy was supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties , received 71% of the vote, and defeated...
  
  : Dmitry Medvedev
  Dmitry Medvedev
  Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
  
   is elected President of Russia with about 70% of the vote. He is scheduled to succeed Vladimir Putin
  Vladimir Putin
  Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
  
   in May.
• March 2 - 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
  2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
  The 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off between the South American countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It began with an incursion into Ecuadorian territory across the Putumayo River by the Colombian military on March 1, 2008, leading to the deaths of over twenty...
  
  : Venezuela
  Venezuela
  Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
  
   and Ecuador
  Ecuador
  Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
  
   move troops to the Colombia
  Colombia
  Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
  
  n border following a Colombian raid against FARC
  Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
  The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
  
   guerrillas inside Ecuador's national territory in which senior commander Raúl Reyes
  Raúl Reyes
  Luis Edgar Devia Silva , better known by his nom de guerre Raúl Reyes, was a Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-EP...
  
   was killed.
• March 3 - United Nations Security Council
  United Nations Security Council
  The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
  
   Resolution 1803 on Iran's Nuclear Program.
• March 4 - John McCain
  John McCain
  John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
  
   secures the 2008 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination
  Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
  The 2008 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
  
   after winning primary election
  Primary election
  A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
  
  s in Texas, Vermont, Ohio, and Rhode Island.
• March 6 - Eight Israel
  Israel
  The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
  
  i civilians are killed and nine wounded when a Palestinian
  Palestinian National Authority
  The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
  
   attacker opens fire at a Jewish
  Judaism
  Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
  
   seminary in Jerusalem.
• March 8 - General election
  Malaysian general election, 2008
  The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
  
   in Malaysia: First time since the 1969 elections
  Malaysian general election, 1969
  General elections were held in Malaysia on 10 May 1969, although voting was postponed until between 21 and 27 June in Sabah and Sarawak. It resulted in the return to power, with a reduced majority, of the ruling Alliance Party, comprising the United Malays National Organization , the Malayan...
  
   that the Barisan Nasional
  Barisan Nasional
  Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
  
   coalition fails to win a two-thirds supermajority in the Dewan Rakyat
  Dewan Rakyat
  The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
  
  .
• March 8 - General election
  Maltese general election, 2008
  The latest Maltese general election for the renewal of the House of Representatives of Malta was held on March 8, 2008. The incumbent ruling party the Christian democratic Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, narrowly won over the social democratic Malta Labour Party led by...
  
   in Malta
  Malta
  Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
  
  .
• March 9 - Medical and higher education fees referendum
  Hungarian fees abolishment referendum, 2008
  A referendum on revoking government reforms which introduced doctor visit fees paid per visitation and medical fees paid per number of days spent in hospital as well as tuition fees in higher education took place in Hungary on 9 March 2008. Hungarian people usually call this popular vote Social...
  
   in Hungary.
• March 9 - General election
  Spanish general election, 2008
  Legislative elections for the Spanish Cortes Generales were held on March 9, 2008. The elections were for 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies, and the 208 directly elected seats in the upper house, the Senate, determining the Prime Minister of Spain...
  
   in Spain: The governing PSOE
  Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
  The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
  
   led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
  José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
  José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
  
   is reelected with the most seats in the Congress of Deputies.
• March 13 - New York
  New York
  New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
  
   Governor Eliot Spitzer
  Eliot Spitzer
  Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
  
   announces his resignation effective March 17 days after being linked to a high-priced prostitution ring.
• March 14 - Demonstrations
  2008 Tibetan unrest
  The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known from its Chinese name as the 3•14 Riots, was a series of riots, protests, and demonstrations that started in Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa and spread to other Tibetan areas and a number of monasteries including outside the Tibet Autonomous Region...
  
   by Tibet
  Tibet
  Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
  
  an separatists turn violent as rioters target government and Han Chinese
  Han Chinese
  Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
  
  -owned buildings.
• March 14 - Iranian legislative election
  Iranian legislative election, 2008
  Legislative elections for Majlis of Iran were held on 14 March 2008, with a second round held on 25 April 2008. Conservatives loyal to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were considered the victors of the election, at least in part because "all the most prominent" reformist candidates were disqualified...
  
  .
• March 14 - By a recorded vote of 39 in favour to 7 against the United Nations General Assembly
  United Nations General Assembly
  For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
  
   adopted Resolution 62/243
  United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/243
  United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/243, titled "The Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan", is a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was adopted on March 14, 2008 at the 62nd session of the General Assembly...
  
  , demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian
  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
  The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...
  
   forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
  
  .
• March 20 - A permanent coalition government agreement is reached in Belgium, ending a nine-month stalemate
  2007–2008 Belgian government formation
  The 2007–2008 Belgian government formation followed the general election of 10 June 2007, and consisted of a period of negotiation in which the Flemish parties Flemish Liberal Democratic , Christian Democratic and Flemish and New Flemish Alliance , and the French-speaking parties Reformist...
  
  , as Yves Leterme
  Yves Leterme
  Yves Camille Désiré Leterme is a Flemish Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party , and the 48th Prime Minister of Belgium.Leterme was the Prime Minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008...
  
   is sworn in as Prime Minister.
• March 20 - The United States enacts economic sanctions
  Economic sanctions
  Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
  
   against Iran
  Iran
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
  
  .
• March 22 - Republic of China presidential election is held in Taiwan
  Taiwan
  Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
  
  . The Kuomintang
  Kuomintang
  The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
  
   (KMT) nominee Ma Ying-jeou
  Ma Ying-jeou
  Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
  
   won.
• March 24 - Bhutan
  Bhutan
  Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
  
   holds its first-ever general elections
  Bhutanese general election, 2008
  Bhutan held its first general election on March 24, 2008 for the National Assembly. Two parties were registered by the Election Commission of Bhutan to contest the election: the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party , which was formed by the merger of the previously established Bhutan People's United...
  
  .
• March 25 - Yousaf Raza Gillani
  Yousaf Raza Gillani
  Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...
  
   becomes the 27th Prime Minister of Pakistan
  Prime Minister of Pakistan
  The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
  
  .

• March 25 - African Union
  African Union
  The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
  
   and Comoros
  Comoros
  The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
  
   forces invade
  2008 invasion of Anjouan
  The invasion of Anjouan , on March 25, 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical support from Libya and France...
  
   the rebel-held island of Anjouan
  Anjouan
  Anjouan is an autonomous island, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Mutsamudu and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers Anjouan (also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani) is an autonomous island,...
  
  .
• March 29 - Zimbabwe presidential election
  Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008
  The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on 29 March 2008. The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , and...
  
  .
• March-April - Rising food and fuel prices
  2007–2008 world food price crisis
  World food prices increased dramatically in 2007 and the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2008 creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. Systemic causes for the worldwide increases in food prices continue to be the subject...
  
   trigger riots and unrest in the Third World
  Third World
  The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
  
  .

April

• April 2 - The 20th NATO summit
  2008 Bucharest summit
  The 2008 Bucharest Summit or the 20th NATO Summit was a NATO summit organized in Bucharest, Romania on 2 – 4 April 2008. Among other business, Croatia and Albania were invited to join the alliance. Republic of Macedonia was not invited due to its ongoing naming dispute with Greece...
  
   begins in Bucharest
  Bucharest
  Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
  
  , Romania
  Romania
  Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
  
  .
• April 3 - Albania
  Albania
  Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
  
   and Croatia
  Croatia
  Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
  
   are invited to join NATO in 2009. The membership bid of the Republic of Macedonia
  Republic of Macedonia
  Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
  
   is rejected due to opposition by Greece. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  Bosnia and Herzegovina
  Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
  
   and Montenegro
  Montenegro
  Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
  
   engage in an Intensified Dialogue with NATO.
• April 6 - Presidential election
  Montenegrin presidential election, 2008
  A presidential election was held in Montenegro on 6 April 2008; it was the country's first since independence. According to a compromise with the opposition, local elections in Herceg-Novi and Tivat were held at the same time. The law on presidential elections was passed on 27 December 2007....
  
   in Montenegro
  Montenegro
  Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
  
  .
• April 8 - Sark
  Sark
  Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
  
   dismantled its feudal system
  Feudalism
  Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
  
   to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights
  European Convention on Human Rights
  The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
  
  . The Privy Council approved the Sark law reforms, and the first election
  Election
  An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
  
  s under the new law will be held in December 2008 and the new chamber will first convene in January 2009.
• April 10 - Assembly elections
  Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2008
  A general election for the Constituent Assembly was held in Nepal on 10 April 2008 after having been postponed from earlier dates of 7 June 2007 and 22 November 2007. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly will draft a new constitution; it will therefore decide, amongst other things, on the issue of...
  
   in Nepal
  Nepal
  Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
  
  : Maoists win a plurality of seats in the Assembly in the first election in Nepal in nine years.
• April 13 - Elections
  Italian general election, 2008
  A snap general election was held in Italy on 13 April and 14 April 2008. The election came after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved parliament on 6 February 2008 following the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a January 2008 Senate vote, and the unsuccessful tentative...
  
   in Italy: The Silvio Berlusconi
  Silvio Berlusconi
  Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
  
  -led coalition, which consists of The People of Freedom
  The People of Freedom
  The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
  
  , Lega Nord, and Movement for Autonomy
  Movement for Autonomy
  The Movement for Autonomies is a regionalist Christian democratic political party in Italy. It demands economic development and greater autonomy for Sicily, mainly, and for other regions of Southern Italy...
  
   parties, wins a majority of seats in both the Chamber of Deputies
  Italian Chamber of Deputies
  The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
  
   and the Senate
  Italian Senate
  The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
  
  .
• April 20 - Fernando Lugo
  Fernando Lugo
  Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez is the current President of Paraguay and a former Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro.-Early life:...
  
   is elected President of Paraguay
  President of Paraguay
  The President of Paraguay is according to the Paraguayan Constitution the Chief of the Executive branch of the Government of Paraguay...
  
  . This is the first time in 61 years that the Colorado Party
  Colorado Party (Paraguay)
  The National Republican Association – Colorado Party is a political party in Paraguay, founded in 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. It is usually known as the Colorado Party...
  
   has lost a presidential election
  Paraguayan general election, 2008
  The 2008 Paraguayan general election was held in Paraguay on April 20, 2008. This includes presidential, legislative, and local elections. The presidential election was won by opposition candidate Fernando Lugo of the Patriotic Alliance for Change, who defeated Blanca Ovelar of the long-ruling...
  
  .
• April 24 - Teachers in England and Wales stage the first national strike
  2008 National Union of Teachers Strike
  The NUT teacher strike was a 24 hour strike by teachers on 24 April 2008, over the issue of pay. It was the largest strike in Britain for more than 20 years...
  
   in more than 20 years over issues of pay.
• April 27 - The Taliban attempts to assassinate Afghan
  Afghanistan
  Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
  
   President Hamid Karzai
  Hamid Karzai
  Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
  
   in a military parade in Kabul
  Kabul
  Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
  
  .

May

• May 1 - Local elections
  United Kingdom local elections, 2008
  The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
  
  , for 137 English councils and all Welsh councils in the United Kingdom.
• May 1 - Elections for the London Mayor
  London mayoral election, 2008
  The London mayoral election, 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson....
  
   and London Assembly
  London Assembly election, 2008
  An election to the Assembly of London took place on 1 May 2008, along with the London mayoral election, 2008. The Conservatives gained 2 seats, Labour gained one seat, the Liberal Democrats lost two seats, and United Kingdom Independence Party or One London as they became were wiped out...
  
   take place with Boris Johnson
  Boris Johnson
  Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
  
   becoming the second Mayor of London
  Mayor of London
  The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
  
  .
• May 2 - May 3 - The Presidents of Central European States meet
  Ohrid Summit 2008
  Ohrid Summit 2008 was the name of the 15th Meeting of Presidents of Central European States that took place from 2 May to 3 May 2008 in the city of Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia...
  
   in Ohrid
  Ohrid
  Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
  
  , Republic of Macedonia
  Republic of Macedonia
  Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
  
  .
• May 7 - Brian Cowen
  Brian Cowen
  Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
  
   is elected the 11th Taoiseach
  Taoiseach
  The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
  
   (Prime Minister) of Ireland
  Republic of Ireland
  Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
  
  , succeeding Bertie Ahern
  Bertie Ahern
  Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
  
  , after a vote in the Dáil Éireann
  Dáil Éireann
  Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
  
  .
• May 7 - Dmitry Medvedev
  Dmitry Medvedev
  Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
  
   is sworn in as the President of Russia.
• May 8 - Vladimir Putin
  Vladimir Putin
  Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
  
   is confirmed as the 10th Prime Minister of Russia
  Prime Minister of Russia
  The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation The use of the term "Prime Minister" is strictly informal and is not allowed for by the Russian Constitution and other laws....
  
   after a vote in the State Duma
  State Duma
  The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
  
  .
• May 8 - Silvio Berlusconi
  Silvio Berlusconi
  Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
  
   is sworn in as the 81st Prime Minister of Italy
  Prime minister of Italy
  The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
  
  .
• May 10 - Myanmar holds a constitutional referendum
  Constitution of Burma
  The Constitution of Burma ) has changed several times since the country became independent from the United Kingdom. Burma's third and current constitution was published in September 2008 after a referendum.-1947 Constitution:...
  
  .
• May 11 - Local
  Serbian local elections, 2008
  Local elections were held in Serbia on 11 May 2008. According to the Constitutional Law adopted by the National Assembly on 30 September 2006 that proclaimed the new constitution, the parliamentary Speaker had to schedule the elections for local administrative units by 31 December 2007. He...
  
   and parliamentary elections
  Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
  A pre-term parliamentary election was held in the Serbia on 11 May 2008, barely a year after the previous parliamentary election. There were 6,749,886 eligible electors who were able to vote in 8,682 voting places, as well as 157 special voting places designed for refugees from...
  
   in Serbia
  Serbia
  Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
  
  .
• May 14 - Six Iranian Bahá'í Faith
  Bahá'í Faith
  The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
  
   leaders are arrested in Iran
  Iran
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
  
  .
• May 15 - California
  Same-sex marriage in California
  The status of same-sex marriage in California is unique among the 50 U.S. states, in that the state formerly granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but has discontinued doing so...
  
   becomes the second U.S. state
  U.S. state
  A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
  
   after Massachusetts
  Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
  Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry...
  
   in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage
  Same-sex marriage
  Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
  
   after the state's Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional
  In re Marriage Cases
  In re Marriage Cases 43 Cal.4th 757 [76 Cal.Rptr.3d 683, 183 P.3d 384], was a California Supreme Court case with the dual holding that "statutes that treat persons differently because of their sexual orientation should be subjected to strict scrutiny" and the existing "California legislative and...
  
  .
• May 16 - Presidential election
  Dominican Republic presidential election, 2008
  A presidential election was held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 2008.A poll from late October 2007 gave the incumbent Leonel Fernández of the centre-right Dominican Liberation Party 42%, construction tycoon Miguel Vargas Maldonado of the centre-left Dominican Revolutionary Party 30% and Amable...
  
   in the Dominican Republic
  Dominican Republic
  The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
  
  .
• May 16 - The fifth Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit
  Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit
  The Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit is a biennial meeting of heads of state and government of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union...
  
   is held in Lima
  Lima
  Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
  
  , Peru
  Peru
  Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  
  .
• May 17 - Parliamentary elections
  Kuwaiti parliamentary election, 2008
  An early parliamentary election was held in Kuwait on 17 May 2008 after the Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait on 19 March 2008 over constant clashes between the government and the elected MPs...
  
   are held in Kuwait
  Kuwait
  The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
  
  .
• May 20 - Chen Shui-bian
  Chen Shui-bian
  Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
  
   steps down after eight years as Taiwan
  Taiwan
  Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
  
  's president
  President
  A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
  
   due to term limit
  Term limit
  A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
  
  s and is replaced by Ma Ying-jeou
  Ma Ying-jeou
  Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
  
   who was elected two months earlier.
• May 21 - Legislative elections
  Georgian legislative election, 2008
  Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on May 21, 2008. President Mikheil Saakashvili proposed a referendum on bringing them forward from October to April after the 2007 Georgian demonstrations...
  
   are held in Georgia
  Georgia (country)
  Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
  
  .
• May 22 - Council of the Presidents of Ukraine
  Ukraine
  Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
  
   and Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan
  Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
  
   is formed.
• May 23 - The Union of South American Nations, a supranational union
  Supranational union
  Supranationalism is a method of decision-making in multi-national political communities, wherein power is transferred or delegated to an authority by governments of member states. The concept of supranational union is sometimes used to describe the European Union, as a new type of political entity...
  
  , is created by a union between the Andean Community
  Andean Community of Nations
  The Andean Community is a customs union comprising the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact until 1996 and came into existence with the signing of the Cartagena Agreement in 1969...
  
   and Mercosur
  Mercosur
  Mercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
  
  .
• May 23 - The International Court of Justice
  International Court of Justice
  The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
  
   awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore
  Singapore
  Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
  
  , ending a 29-year territorial dispute
  Pedra Branca dispute
  The Pedra Branca dispute was a territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over several islets at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait, namely Pedra Branca , Middle Rocks and South Ledge...
  
   between the two countries.
• May 25 - Michel Suleiman
  Michel Suleiman
  Michel Suleiman or Sleiman is the President of Lebanon. Before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. After LAF commander Émile Lahoud took office as president in November of 1998, Suleiman succeeded him, taking his place in December...
  
   is elected
  Lebanese presidential election, 2008
  An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 25 May 2008, after the term of incumbent President Émile Lahoud expired on 24 November 2007 at midnight...
  
   President of Lebanon by the Parliament
  Parliament of Lebanon
  The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
  
  . The election had been postponed 19 times due to a parliamentary stalemate.
• May 28 - The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
  Nepal
  Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
  
   is established after the Assembly
  Nepalese Constituent Assembly
  The Nepalese Constituent Assembly is a unicameral body of 601 members formed as a result of the Constituent Assembly election that was held on April 10, 2008. The Constituent Assembly is tasked with writing a new constitution, and it will act as the interim legislature for a term of two years...
  
   votes overwhemingly in favor of abolishing the country's 240-year-old monarchy
  Nepalese monarchy
  The Kingdom of Nepal , also referred to as the Gorkha Kingdom, was formed in 1768 by the unification of Nepal. Founded by Prithvi Narayan Shah The Kingdom of Nepal , also referred to as the Gorkha Kingdom, was formed in 1768 by the unification of Nepal. Founded by Prithvi Narayan Shah The Kingdom...
  
  . Girija Prasad Koirala
  Girija Prasad Koirala
  Girija Prasad Koirala was a Nepalese politician and the President of the Nepali Congress, a major political party. He was Prime Minister of Nepal for four times, serving from 1991 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, 2000 to 2001, and from 2006 to 2008; he was also Acting Head of State from January 2007 to July...
  
   becomes temporary Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  .

June

• June 1 - Parliamentary elections
  Macedonian parliamentary election, 2008
  Early parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of Macedonia on 1 June 2008 after the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia voted to dissolve itself on 12 April 2008...
  
   in the Republic of Macedonia
  Republic of Macedonia
  Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
  
  .
• June 1 - Referendum
  Swiss referendum, June 2008
  A referendum on three questions was held in Switzerland on 1 June 2008:* people's initiative against publicly funded information campaigns by the government, also known as the "muzzle initiative";...
  
   on the process of naturalization fails by a wide margin in Switzerland, leaving in place a system in which applicants are approved by elected bodies rather than popular votes.
• June 3 - Barack Obama
  Barack Obama
  Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
  
   becomes the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party
  Democratic Party (United States)
  The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
  
  , becoming the first African American
  African American
  African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
  
   to do so in a major U.S. political party.
• June 11 - Canadian
  Canada
  Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
  
   Prime Minister Stephen Harper
  Stephen Harper
  Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
  
   apologizes to Canada's First Nations
  First Nations
  First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
  
   for the Canadian residential school system
  Canadian residential school system
  -History:Founded in the 19th century, the Canadian Indian residential school system was intended to assimilate the children of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada into European-Canadian society...
  
  .
• June 12 - Ireland
  Republic of Ireland
  Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
  
   votes to reject the Treaty of Lisbon
  Treaty of Lisbon
  The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
  
  , in the only referendum to be held by a European Union
  European Union
  The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
  
   member state on the treaty.
• June 27 - President Robert Mugabe
  Robert Mugabe
  Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
  
   is reelected with 85.5% of the vote in the second round of the controversial Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
  
  an presidential election
  Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008
  The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on 29 March 2008. The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , and...
  
  .
• June 27 - Two ministers of the Guatemala
  Guatemala
  Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
  
  n government are killed in a helicopter crash in Alta Verapaz.
• June 29 - Legislative elections
  Mongolian legislative election, 2008
  A legislative election in Mongolia was held on June 29, 2008. A total of 356 candidates were running for 76 seats in the State Great Khural. According to official results published on July 14, at least 39 seats went to the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party , and at least 25 seats went...
  
   are held in Mongolia
  Mongolia
  Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
  
  .

July

• July 2 - Íngrid Betancourt
  Íngrid Betancourt
  Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio is a Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist.Betancourt was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on 23 February 2002 and was rescued by Colombian security forces six and a half years later on 2 July 2008...
  
   and 14 other hostages are rescued
  Operation Jaque
  Operation Jaque was a Colombian military operation that resulted in the freedom of 15 hostages, including former Colombian presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt. The hostages had been held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia . The operation took place on July 2, 2008, along the...
  
   from FARC
  Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
  The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
  
   by Colombia
  Colombia
  Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
  
  n security forces.
• July 5 - Tens of thousands of South Korea
  South Korea
  The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
  
  ns continue to protest against the Lee Myung-bak
  Lee Myung-bak
  Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
  
   administration's decision to allow U.S. beef imports
  US beef imports in South Korea
  The 2008 US beef protest in South Korea was an importation issue in South Korea – United States relations after the closure of the South Korean market to US beef imports upon the discovery of a US case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in 2003...
  
   to resume.
• July 7–July 9 - 34th G8 summit
  34th G8 summit
  The 34th G8 summit took place in on the northern island of Hokkaidō, Japan from July 7–9, 2008. The locations of previous summits to have been hosted by Japan include: Tokyo ; and Nago, Okinawa . The G8 Summit has evolved beyond being a gathering of world political leaders...
  
   held in Tōyako, Hokkaidō
  Toyako, Hokkaido
  is a town in Abuta District, Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. This town was formed on 23 March 2006 through the merger of the town Abuta and the village of Tōya...
  
   in Japan

August

• August 18 - The President
  President
  A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
  
   of Pakistan
  Pakistan
  Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
  
   Pervez Musharraf
  Pervez Musharraf
  Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
  
   resigned from the presidency after impeachment pressures by coalation government of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League.
• August 25 - August 28 - The Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado
  Colorado
  Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
  
   nominates Barack Obama
  Barack Obama
  Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
  
   for President of the United States
  President of the United States
  The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
  
  , and Joe Biden
  Joe Biden
  Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
  
   for Vice President.

September

• September 1 to September 4 - The Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota
  Saint Paul, Minnesota
  Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
  
   nominates John McCain
  John McCain
  John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
  
   for President of the United States
  President of the United States
  The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
  
  , and Sarah Palin
  Sarah Palin
  Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
  
   for Vice President.

November

• November 4 - Barack Obama
  Barack Obama
  Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
  
   was elected
  United States presidential election, 2008
  The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
  
   as the 44th President of the United States
  President of the United States
  The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
  
  , becoming the first African American
  African American
  African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
  
   elected to the office. Congressional elections for the House of Representatives
  United States House of Representatives
  The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
  
   and one third of the Senators
  United States Senate
  The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
  
   (second class) were also held.
• November 4 - Gubernatorial
  Governor
  A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
  
   election slated in Puerto Rico
  Puerto Rico
  Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
  
   to elect the governor
  Governor of Puerto Rico
  The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
  
   of the island.
• November 8 - New Zealand held a general election
  New Zealand general election, 2008
  The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
  
  , which John Key
  John Key
  John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
  
  's right-wing
  Right-wing politics
  In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
  
   National Party
  New Zealand National Party
  The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
  
   won, with deals from the ACT, United Future, and Māori
  Maori Party
  The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...
  
   parties.
• November 25 - Greenland
  Greenland
  Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
  
   holds an election for increased autonomy from Denmark.
• November 28 - Legislative election
  Romanian legislative election, 2008
  Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
  
   in Romania
  Romania
  Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
  
  .

December

• December 9 - Illinois
  Illinois
  Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
  
   Governor Rod Blagojevich
  Rod Blagojevich
  Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
  
   is arrested by FBI agents, and charged with trying to sell the United States Senate
  United States Senate
  The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
  
   seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama
  Barack Obama
  Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
  
  .
• December 30 - Embattled Illinois
  Illinois
  Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
  
   Governor Rod Blagojevich
  Rod Blagojevich
  Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
  
   names Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama
  Barack Obama
  Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
  
   in the United States Senate
  United States Senate
  The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
  
  .

January

• January 1 - Thiyagarajah Maheswaran
  T. Maheswaran
  T. Maheswaran was an ethnic Tamil Sri Lankan Member of Parliament from Colombo. He belonged to the main opposition United National Party and was critic of Rajapakse government's war against Tamil rebels...
  
  , Sri Lankan Tamil politician (b. 1960)
• January 2 - Lee S. Dreyfus
  Lee S. Dreyfus
  Lee Sherman Dreyfus was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 40th Governor of Wisconsin from January 4, 1979 to January 3, 1983....
  
  , American politician (b. 1926)
• January 3 - Werner Dollinger
  Werner Dollinger
  Dr. Werner Dollinger was a German politician and economist. Born in Neustadt an der Aisch, he helped found the Christian Socialist Union Party in 1946. Dollinger was a member of the Bundestag , minister for the Treasury , minister of postal services and telecommunication and minister of transport...
  
  , German politician (b. 1918)
• January 3 - Petru Dugulescu
  Petru Dugulescu
  Petru Dugulescu was a Romanian Baptist pastor, poet, and politician. A member of the Baptist Union of Romania and a representative of the National Peasants' Party , he played a part in the 1989 Revolution, being among the organizers of protests in Timişoara.-Biography:Born in Chelmac, Arad County,...
  
  , Romanian Baptist pastor, poet, and politician (b. 1945)
• January 5 - Giovanni Rinaldo Coronas
  Giovanni Rinaldo Coronas
  Giovanni Rinaldo Coronas was an Italian politician. He was born in Castelvetrano, western Sicily.He was made the Roman Chief of police on January 19, 1979. He served as the Italian Minister of the Interior from June 8, 1995 to May 17, 1996. He died in Rome....
  
  , Italian politician (b. 1919)
• January 5 - Raymond Forni
  Raymond Forni
  Raymond Forni was a French Socialist politician.-Biography:Son of an Italian immigrant, Raymond Forni was born in Belfort, in 1941. His father died when he was 11. At 17, he had to stop studying, and he started to work as an unskilled worker in Peugeot factories...
  
  , French politician (b. 1941)
• January 5 - İhsan Saraçlar
  Ihsan Saraçlar
  İhsan Saraçlar was a Turkish lawyer and politician. He was born in Samsun.From 1991 to 1995 he served as the vice-chairman of the True Path Party. After studying law at the Istanbul University, he became an independent lawyer. He joined the Right Path Party and was a member of the Grand National...
  
  , Turkish lawyer and politician (b. 1928)
• January 6 - Alekos Michaelides
  Alekos Michaelides
  Alekos Michaelides was a Cypriot politician. He served as Foreign Minister and as President of the House of Representatives....
  
  , Cypriot politician (b. 1933)
• January 7 - Alwyn Schlebusch
  Alwyn Schlebusch
  Alwyn Schlebusch was the only holder of the title Vice State President of South Africa from 1 January 1981 to 14 September 1984...
  
  , South African politician (b. 1917)
• January 10 - Andrés Henestrosa
  Andrés Henestrosa
  Andrés Henestrosa Morales was a Mexican writer and politician. In addition to his prose and poetry, Henestrosa was elected to the federal legislature, serving three terms in the Chamber of Deputies, and as a senator for the state of Oaxaca from 1982 to 1988...
  
  , Mexican writer and politician (b. 1906)
• January 13 - Walter Zimper
  Walter Zimper
  Walter Zimper was an Austrian politician of the ÖVP.Zimper studied at the Trading Academy at the University of Vienna. He was editor-in-chief of the Niederösterreichischen Volksblattes.Since 1970, he was part of the Gemeinderat in Markt Piesting and was from 1975 to 2002 mayor of the community...
  
  , Austrian politician (b. 1942)
• January 14 - Vincenz Liechtenstein
  Vincenz Liechtenstein
  Vincenz Liechtenstein was an Austrian politician . He was a grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Austrian Emperor. He was born as a Prince of Liechtenstein, but the nobility in Austria was officially abolished in 1919, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
  
  , Austrian politician (b. 1950)
• January 16 - Nikola Kljusev
  Nikola Kljusev
  Nikola Kljusev was a Macedonian academician and politician. Kljusev served as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia from January 27, 1991 until August 17, 1992, following the country's independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.-Early life:Nikola Kljusev was born in Štip,...
  
  , Macedonian Prime Minister (b. 1927)
• January 17 - Trevor Sprigg
  Trevor Sprigg
  Trevor Sprigg was an Australian politician and legislator from Western Australia, as well as a former football star...
  
  , Australian politician (b. 1946)
• January 26 - George Habash
  George Habash
  George Habash also known by his laqab "al-Hakim" was a Palestinian nationalist. Habash, a Palestinian Christian, founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which pioneered the hijacking of airplanes as a Middle East militant tactic...
  
  , Palestinian politician (b. 1926)
• January 26 - Aziz Sedki
  Aziz Sedki
  Aziz Sedki was an Egyptian politician and engineer. Sedki served as the Prime Minister of Egypt from January 17, 1972 until March 23, 1976. He was nicknamed the "father of Egyptian industry."-Early life:...
  
  , Egyptian Prime Minister (b. 1920)
• January 27 - Botho Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein
  Botho Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein
  Botho Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein was a German politician. He was a member of the Christian Democratic Union....
  
  , German politician (b. 1927)
• January 27 - Suharto, 2nd President of Indonesia (b. 1921)

February

• February 2 - Ahmad Bourghani
  Ahmad Bourghani
  Ahmad Bourghani Farahani was an influential Iranian reformist politician, notable journalist, writer and political analyst....
  
  , Iranian politician (b. circa 1959)
• February 2 - Earl Butz
  Earl Butz
  Earl Lauer "Rusty" Butz was a United States government official who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.- Background :...
  
  , American government official (b. 1909)
• February 7 - Hoang Minh Chinh
  Hoàng Minh Chính
  Hoàng Minh Chính , also Trần Ngọc Nghiêm, was a Vietnamese politician and dissident. He was one of the best-known figures and ideologists of the Vietnamese Communist Party during the 1960s and held several key governmental positions...
  
  , Vietnamese politician and dissident (b. 1922)
• February 11 - Tom Lantos
  Tom Lantos
  Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
  
  , American politician (b. 1928)
• February 16 - Hans Leussink
  Hans Leussink
  Hans Leussink was a German teacher and politician. He served as the country's Minister for Education and Research from 1969 to 1972....
  
  , German politician (b. 1912)
• February 19 - Jean-Michel Bertrand
  Jean-Michel Bertrand
  Jean-Michel Bertrand was a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement .- Biography :...
  
  , French politician (b. 1943)
• February 21 - Sufi Abu Taleb
  Sufi Abu Taleb
  Sufi Abu Taleb was an Egyptian politician. He served as Speaker of the People's Assembly from 1978 to 1983 and, upon the assassination of Anwar El Sadat on 6 October 1981, assumed the duties of Acting head of state, as which he served for eight days until the accession of Hosni Mubarak.-Early...
  
  , Acting President of Egypt (b. 1925)
• February 23 - Joaquim Pinto de Andrade
  Joaquim Pinto de Andrade
  Joaquim Pinto de Andrade served as the first honorary President of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola , Chancellor of the Luanda Archdiocese, and as a member of the African Society of Culture. He died on February 23, 2008 following a long illness, the same day as fellow MPLA...
  
  , Angolan politician (b. 1926)
• February 23 - Janez Drnovšek
  Janez Drnovšek
  Janez Drnovšek was a Slovenian liberal politician, President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Prime Minister of Slovenia and President of Slovenia . He was born in Celje, Slovenia, then the Socialist Republic of Slovenia...
  
  , 2nd President and 2nd Prime Minister of Slovenia (b. 1950)
• February 26 - Tyronne Fernando
  Tyronne Fernando
  Tyronne Fernando , PC was a Sri Lankan politician who served as Foreign Minister from 2001 until 2004.-Early life and education:...
  
  , Sri Lankan politician (b. 1941)
• February 27 - William F. Buckley, Jr.
  William F. Buckley, Jr.
  William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
  
  , American author and conservative commentator (b. 1925)

March

• March 3 - Annemarie Renger
  Annemarie Renger
  Annemarie Renger , , was a German politician for the “Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands” ....
  
  , German politician (b. 1919)
• March 6 - Gustaw Holoubek
  Gustaw Holoubek
  Gustaw Holoubek was a Polish actor, director, member of the Polish Sejm, and a senator.Holoubek participated in the September Campaign and was a prisoner of war during the Nazi German Occupation of Poland...
  
  , Polish actor, director, and politician (b. 1923)
• March 7 - Isaías Carrasco
  Isaías Carrasco
  Isaías Carrasco was a Basque politician, affiliated with the PSE. He was shot dead when he left his house in Tolosa de Mondragón on March 7, 2008, two days ahead of general elections in Spain, in what is believed to be an attack by ETA....
  
  , Basque politician (b. 1964)
• March 7 - Francis Pym, British politician (b. 1922)
• March 12 - Károly Németh
  Károly Németh
  Károly Németh was a Hungarian political figure born in Páka. He served as the Chairman of the Hungarian Presidential Council from 25 June 1987 to 29 June 1988.-References:...
  
  , Hungarian politician (b. 1922)
• March 12 - Howard Metzenbaum
  Howard Metzenbaum
  Howard Morton Metzenbaum was an American politician who served for almost 20 years as a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Ohio . He also served in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate from 1943 to 1951.-Early life:Metzenbaum was born in Cleveland, to a poor Jewish family, the son...
  
  , American politician (b. 1917)
• March 14 - Clyde Cameron
  Clyde Cameron
  Clyde Robert Cameron, AO , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 31 years from 1949 to 1980, a Cabinet minister in the Whitlam government and a leading figure in the Australian labour movement for forty years.-Biography:Cameron was born in Murray Bridge,...
  
  , Australian politician (b. 1913)
• March 16 - Anura Bandaranaike
  Anura Bandaranaike
  Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker , and in several cabinet ministries as Foreign Minister briefly in 2005, Minister of Higher Education , Minister of Tourism , Minister of National Heritage and Leader of the Opposition...
  
  , Sri Lankan politician (b. 1949)
• March 21 - Gabriel París Gordillo
  Gabriel París Gordillo
  Gabriel París Gordillo was President of Colombia from May 1957 to August 1958 as Chairman of the Colombian Military Junta Government following the 1957 Coup d'état.- Biographic data :...
  
  , Colombian President and military governor (b. 1910)

April

• April 4 - Wu Xueqian
  Wu Xueqian
  Wu Xueqian was the former Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China.-Biography:Wu Xueqian was born in Shanghai in 1921. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1939....
  
  , Chinese politician (b. 1921)
• April 12 - Patrick Hillery
  Patrick Hillery
  Patrick John "Paddy" Hillery was an Irish politician and the sixth President of Ireland from 1976 until 1990. First elected at the 1951 general election as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Clare, he remained in Dáil Éireann until 1973...
  
  , 6th President of Ireland (b. 1923)
• April 17 - Aimé Césaire
  Aimé Césaire
  Aimé Fernand David Césaire was a French poet, author and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the négritude movement in Francophone literature".-Student, educator, and poet:...
  
  , French Martinican poet, author, and politician (b. 1913)
• April 29 - Charles Tilly
  Charles Tilly
  Charles Tilly was an American sociologist, political scientist, and historian who wrote on the relationship between politics and society. He was the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science at Columbia University....
  
  , American sociologist, historian, and political scientist (b. 1929)
• April 30 - Juancho Evertsz
  Juancho Evertsz
  Juancho Evertsz , whose full name was Juan Miguel Gregorio Evertsz, was a Dutch Antillean politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles between 1973 and 1977....
  
  , Dutch Antillean politician (b. 1923)

May

• May 1 - Anthony Mamo
  Anthony Mamo
  Sir Anthony Joseph Mamo, OBE, QC was the first President of Malta and previously served as the last Governor-General, representing Elizabeth II as Queen of Malta, when the country was a Commonwealth realm...
  
  , 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)
• May 3 - Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, 74th Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1926)
• May 7 - Thijs Wöltgens
  Thijs Wöltgens
  Mathias Andreas Marie Wöltgens was a Dutch politician. He served as the mayor of the Kerkrade, a town on the German border in the southeast of the Netherlands, from 1994 until 2000. Wöltgens was also a Senator from 1995 until 2005.Thijs Wöltgens died in Kerkrade on 7 May 2008, at the age of 64 of...
  
  , Dutch politician (b. 1943)
• May 13 - Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah
  Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah
  Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, KCMG was the Emir of Kuwait during a short reign of nine days , succeeding the late Sheikh Jaber....
  
  , Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930)
• May 17 - Sophan Sophiaan
  Sophan Sophiaan
  Sophan Sophiaan was an Indonesian film actor and politician. He was a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle .Sophiaan was born in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, on April 26, 1944...
  
  , Indonesian actor and politician (b. 1944)
• May 17 - Lionel Van Deerlin
  Lionel Van Deerlin
  Lionel Van Deerlin was an American politician who served as a Democratic United States Representative from California from 1963 to 1981, representing a San Diego area district.-Biography:...
  
  , American politician (b. 1914)
• May 20 - Crispin Beltran
  Crispin Beltran
  Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran was a Filipino politician and a labor leader. A staunch critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his imprisonment in 2006 and 2007 on disputed charges of rebellion and sedition drew international attention...
  
  , Filipino politician and labor leader (b. 1933)
• May 20 - Hamilton Jordan
  Hamilton Jordan
  William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan was Chief of Staff to President of the United States Jimmy Carter.-Early life:...
  
  , American politician (b. 1944)
• May 23 - Utah Phillips
  Utah Phillips
  Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...
  
  , American folk singer and political activist (b. 1935)
• May 24 - Isaac Lipschits
  Isaac Lipschits
  Isaac Lipschits was a Dutch historian and political scientist. Being Jewish, he survived World War II by going under cover. He wrote several works from 1962 to 2004....
  
  , Dutch political scientist and historian (b. 1930)

June

• June 1 - Tommy Lapid, Israeli television presenter, journalist and politician (b. 1931)
• June 2 - Sheriff Mustapha Dibba
  Sheriff Mustapha Dibba
  Sheriff Mustapha Dibba was a veteran Gambian politician who served as the country's National Assembly speaker from 2002 to 2006. He was also leader of the National Convention Party .-Life:...
  
  , Gambian politician (b. unknown)
• June 4 - Ivan Herasymov
  Ivan Herasymov
  Ivan Oleksandrovych Herasymov was a Russian-born Soviet Union 4 star general, Ukrainian politician and deputy in the Ukrainian parliament...
  
  , Ukrainian politician (b. 1921)
• June 7 - Joseph Kabui
  Joseph Kabui
  Joseph Canisius Kabui was a secessionist leader and the first President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, from 2005 to 2008. He was also the leader of the Bougainville People's Congress....
  
  , Papa New Guinean secessionist (b. 1954)
• June 8 - Danilo Lagbas
  Danilo Lagbas
  Danilo P. Lagbas was a Filipino politician. A member of the Lakas-CMD Party, he was elected to two terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Misamis Oriental. He first won election to Congress in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007...
  
  , Filipino politician (b. 1952)
• June 11 - Võ Văn Kiệt
  Vo Van Kiet
  Võ Văn Kiệt was a Vietnamese politician and statesman. He was a veteran fighter in the long war against French and then American military forces in South Vietnam, and lost his first wife and two children to US bombing...
  
  , Vietnamese prime minister (b. 1922)
• June 23 - Arthur Chung
  Arthur Chung
  Arthur Chung was a President of Guyana from 1970 to 1980. He was the first ethnic Chinese head of state in a non-Asian country...
  
  , President of Guyana (b. 1918)

July

• July 1 - Mogens Glistrup
  Mogens Glistrup
  Mogens Glistrup was a controversial Danish politician, lawyer, and member of the Danish parliament and founder of the Progress Party....
  
  , Danish politician and lawyer (b. 1926)
• July 4 - Jesse Helms
  Jesse Helms
  Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. was a five-term Republican United States Senator from North Carolina who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001...
  
  , American politician (b. 1921)
• July 5 - René Harris
  René Harris
  René Reynaldo Harris was President of the Republic of Nauru four times between 1999 and 2004. He was a Member of Parliament from 1977 to 2008.-Background and early career:...
  
  , President of Nauru (b. 1947)
• July 7 - Clem McSpadden
  Clem McSpadden
  Clem Rogers McSpadden was a Democratic politician and a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District who served from 1973 to 1975. He was also the grandnephew of Oklahoma comedian and actor Will Rogers....
  
  , American politician (b. 1925)
• July 9 - Séamus Brennan
  Séamus Brennan
  Séamus Brennan was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a Teachta Dála for Dublin South. He served as a Minister of State, Minister for Tourism and Transport , Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications , Minister for Education , Minister for Transport , Minister for Social and...
  
  , Irish politician (b. 1948)
• July 12 - Tony Snow
  Tony Snow
  Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
  
  , American political commentator (b. 1955)
• July 13 - Bronisław Geremek, Polish social historian and politician (b. 1932)
• July 23 - Kurt Furgler
  Kurt Furgler
  Kurt Furgler was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 8, 1971 and handed over office on December 31, 1986...
  
  , Swiss politician (b. 1924)
• July 23 - Ahmet Hadžipašić
  Ahmet Hadžipašic
  Ahmet Hadžipašić was the former Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina . He was a member of the Bosniak community and Party of Democratic Action. Hadžipašić got his PhD in 1990. Mr...
  
  , Bosnian politician (b. 1952)

August

• August 1 - Harkishan Singh Surjeet
  Harkishan Singh Surjeet
  Harkishan Singh Surjeet was a communist politician from Punjab, India. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1992 to 2005 and was a member of the party's Political Bureau from 1964 to 2008.-Pre-1947 career:Born to a Basi Jat family in Bundala, Jalandhar district,...
  
  , Indian politician (b. 1916)
• August 2 - Helga Gitmark
  Helga Gitmark
  Helga Gitmark was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party.She was the Minister of the Environment from March to October 1973 during the cabinet Korvald, replacing Trygve Haugeland...
  
  , Norwegian politician (b. 1929)
• August 2 - John F. Seiberling
  John F. Seiberling
  John Frederick Seiberling, Jr. was a United States Representative from Ohio. In 1974, he helped to establish what later became the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and served on the House Judiciary Committee that held the impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.-Biography:Born in Akron,...
  
  , American politician (b. 1918)
• August 8 - Antonio Gava
  Antonio Gava
  Antonio Gava was an Italian politician and member of Christian Democracy...
  
  , Italian politician (b. 1930)
• August 11 - Fred Sinowatz
  Fred Sinowatz
  Alfred "Fred" Sinowatz was born in Neufeld an der Leitha, Burgenland, Austria. He was an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party of Austria , and was Chancellor of Austria from 1983 to 1986.- Career until 1983 :Sinowatz, educated as a historian, was Minister of Education and Art in the...
  
  , Austrian politician (b. 1929)
• August 13 - Bill Gwatney
  Bill Gwatney
  Bill Gwatney was an American politician who served as the State Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Prior to being State Chair, he was a State Senator for 10 years. He had also been the financial chair for Mike Beebe's run for Governor of Arkansas in 2006. He owned three car dealerships in...
  
  , American politician (b. 1959)
• August 19 - Levy Mwanawasa
  Levy Mwanawasa
  Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia. He ruled the country from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. He is credited for having initiated a campaign to rid the country of corruption...
  
  , President of Zambia (b. 1948)

See also

• Electoral calendar 2008
  Electoral calendar 2008
  This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, even though they are not elections...
  
  
• List of years in politics
• 2008 in the European Union
  2008 in the European Union
  Events from the year 2008 in the European Union.-Incumbents:*Commission President - José Manuel Barroso, People's Party*Council Presidency - Slovenia and France...
  
  
• 2008 in LGBT rights
  2008 in LGBT rights
  This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2008.-January:* 1 — Civil unions begin in Uruguay and in the U.S. state of New Hampshire.-February:* 4 — Domestic partnerships begin in U.S...