my-server
← Wiki

2011 in politics

These are some of the notable events relating to politics in 2011.

Events

January

  • January 1 – Brazil inaugurates first female President, Dilma Rousseff
  • January 6 – Investigation continues into BP oil spill off Gulf of Mexico
  • January 8 – American congresswoman Gabby Giffords shot in Arizona
  • January 14 – Amid the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests, long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali dissolved the government, and flees the country due to opposition and military intervention, Tunisian PM steps in as interim President
  • January 16 – Former president Jean-Claude Duvalier returns to Haiti 25 years after being overthrown
  • January 17 – Reports of self-immolation spread across Africa
  • January 17 – Allegations of sexual misconduct committed by Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi grow
  • January 18 – Obama hosts Chinese President Hu at private dinner
  • January 20 – New Tunisian government lifts bans on previously outlawed political groups, frees political prisoners
  • January 22 – Algerians defy ban on government protests, protest in capital
  • January 23 – The Green Party of Ireland pulls out of Irish government, forcing early elections
  • January 24 – Suicide bomb detonated at Domodedovo airport in Russia
  • January 24 – Protests in Yemeni capital Sanaa, spurned on by changes in Tunisia
  • January 27 – Egyptian opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei return to Cairo amid political unrest
  • January 29 – Protest in Egypt continue, spurned on by reports from Tunisia, protesters believe President will soon step down
  • January 30 – In a preliminary vote, 99% of South Sudan votes to split from the North, brought about by the 2005 peace agreement which ended two decades of war
  • January 30 – Protesters in London march against Egyptian President Mubarak
  • January 31 – Egyptian army rules out the use of force against the thousands of protesters across the country

February

  • February 1 – King Abdullah II, King of Jordan, dismisses the government of Jordan, appoints new PM with orders to implement political reform
  • February 1 – Egyptian President Mubarak says he will not run again after his current term ends, protesters do not capitulate
  • February 3 – Gunfire in central Cairo, as pro-Mubarak protesters clash with anti-Mubarak protesters
  • February 4 – Crowds grow in Tahrir Square as protesters rally to celebrate day of departure
  • February 7 – Egyptian government raises pay of public sector workers by 15% in attempt to quell protests
  • February 8 – North Korea and South Korea initiate military talks after year long hiatus
  • February 11 – Amid the 2011 Egyptian revolution, long-time president Hosni Mubarak resigns
  • February 12 – Egypt's military leaders, currently in control of country, pledge to uphold all existing international treaties
  • February 13 – Egypt's military, currently in control of country, dissolve parliament and suspend constitution, stating they will control the country for 6 months or until elections can be held
  • February 13 – Italian women stage anti Berlusconi demonstrations, in wake of allegations of sexual misconduct
  • February 14 – Large protests around Algerian capital, protesters call for democratic leadership
  • February 16 – Protests erupt in Benghazi, Libya
  • February 16 – Police and pro democracy protesters clash in Manama Bahrain
  • February 20 – Clashes across the city of Benghazi leave 200 dead and 900 injured
  • February 20 – Security forces shut down protests in Tehran
  • February 22 – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi refuses to stand down amid wide spread protests
  • February 25 – Barack Obama announces American sanctions against Gaddafi's Libya
  • February 26 – UN Security Council unanimously approves sanctions against Libya
  • February 27 – Unrest in Libya spark border crisis, as civilians attempting to flee violence cross into neighboring countries

March

  • March 2 – Pakistani minority minister Shahbaz Bhatti killed in ambush in Islamabad
  • March 4 – Libyan security forces force protesters from Tripoli, Gaddafi's stronghold
  • March 5 – Saudi Arabia imposes ban on protests
  • March 9 – Wisconsin bans collective bargaining for state's public employees
  • March 10 – Security forces in Saudi Arabia shoot at protesters
  • March 13 – Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan cause massive damage, Japanese Prime Minister says it is the worst crisis since the Second World War
  • March 17 – UN Security Council approve a no fly zone in Libya in an effort to protect civilians
  • March 20 – Egyptian voters vote in favor of constitutional amendments that pave the way for elections in June
  • March 23 – 15 protesters are killed in Syria when security forces clash with anti-government protesters
  • March 30 – Libya's foreign minister defects while in Britain, claims attacks on civilians as reason for defection
  • March 30 – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not lift state of emergency, in place for several decades

April

  • April 3 – Protests spread in eastern Afghanistan in reaction to a Florida Priest burning the Quran
  • April 6 – Portugal to seek bailout from EU, cite rising debt and inability to raise funds on international markets
  • April 10 – France begins enforcing a ban on face veils, begins detaining those wearing face veils
  • April 12 – Ex president of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo is detained by UN recognized Ivory Coast government led by Alassane Ouattara, when Gbagbo refused to cede power after November elections
  • April 13 – Egyptian prosecutors order the detention of Mubarak and his sons
  • April 14 – American Congress votes to approve budget bill, financing the government through September
  • April 20 – Syrian government passes law to lift decades old state of emergency, dissolve state security courts, and pass law to allow peaceful protests
  • April 22 – Japanese government approves a disaster relief budget of 4 trillion Yen to begin the cleanup from March's tsunami
  • April 23 – At least 75 people are killed in clashes between security forces and anti-regime protesters in Syria, planned funerals expected to draw large crowds
  • April 23 – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh agrees to step down in exchange for immunity for him and his family, Saleh held power for 32 years
  • April 24 – Pope Benedict XVI calls for peace in the Middle East and Africa, and mentions the plight of the Japanese people in Easter message
  • April 27 – The Palestinian movements of Hamas and Fatah announced that they are ready to form a unity government, raising hopes for a more unified Palestine
  • April 27 – President Obama releases his birth certificate
  • April 29 – Prince William marries Catherine Middleton in royal wedding at Westminster Abbey
  • April 30 – Syrian security forces surround and raid the Omari Mosque in Daraa
  • April 30 – Gaddafi's youngest son and three grandchildren are killed in a Nato airstrike in Tripoli

May

  • May 1 – Osama bin Laden was killed in his compound by a US Navy.
  • May 1 – Pope John Paul II is beatified
  • May 2 – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper wins majority in election, New Democratic Party takes opposition
  • May 7 – The Pentagon releases the home videos of Osama Bin Laden, seized during raid on Bin Laden's compound
  • May 12 – American and Pakistan officials question the wives of Osama bin Laden who were captured during the raid
  • May 13 – Pakistani officials condemn unilateral American raid and drone strikes inside Pakistan
  • May 16 – The head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn is charged with an alleged sexual assault on a hotel maid
  • May 16 – Israeli security forces and Pro-Palestinian protesters clash along Israel border, during Nakba Day protests
  • May 17 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom honors Irish people killed while fighting for independence from Britain
  • May 19 – President Obama gives speech outlining America's policy toward the Middle East, specifically addressing the recent uprisings and protests occurring in the Arab world
  • May 20 – President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu admit they do not share the same ideals on the path to Middle Eastern Peace
  • May 24 – President Obama praises the United Kingdom's special ties with the United States, specifically citing their continued support post 9/11, and continued military support
  • May 27 – Leaders meeting at the G8 summit in France say that Gaddafi must step down, British PM Cameron and French President Sarkozy plan visit to Libya
  • May 29 – FIFA suspends 2 top executives amid bribery allegations, clears top executive Blatter
  • May 30 – South African President Jacob Zuma visits Libya on a peace mission, seeking a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Libyan protests

June

  • June 3 – Syrian security forces open fire on protester killing 34, government cuts Internet access in attempt to quell protests
  • June 4 – Long time Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh heads to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment for injuries sustained during a rocket attack, the President's absence from the country prompted protests and rumors of his stepping down
  • June 5 – Ollanta Humala is elected President of Peru
  • June 13 – Several doctors and nurses from Bahrain go on trial for allegedly taking control of a hospital, storing weapons, and holding prisoners during anti-government protests
  • June 18 – The Obama administration announced that they would begin peace talks with the Taliban, plan to eventually hand talks over to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his peace council
  • June 19 – The European Union announced that Greece would receive more loans to prevent the country from defaulting on previous loans
  • June 21 – A Tunisian court has sentenced former President Ben Ali and his wife to jail in absentia for 35 years, for embezzlement and missing public funds

July

August

  • August 2 – President Obama signs U.S. debt bill, ending default threat
  • August 3 – Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak pleads not guilty as trial begins, was brought to courtroom in a cage
  • August 6 – S&P downgrades United States Government credit rating from AAA to AA+
  • August 7 – Protesters in London riot in response to fatal police shooting
  • August 10 – Protests in London subside after four nights of riots, Prime Minister Cameron vows 'fightback', increases number of police in city streets
  • August 11 – Debate held for Republican nomination for the president
  • August 16 – France and Germany call for closer economic and fiscal policy in the eurozone
  • August 17 – Anti-corruption protester Anna Hazare on huger strike in prison, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says strike is misconceived
  • August 18 – President Obama and European leaders call for the resignation of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, new American sanctions against Syrian government
  • August 21 – American hikers detained in Iran for two years sentenced to 8 years in prison, 5 years for cooperating with American Intelligence Services and 3 years for illegal entry
  • August 24 – Kim Jong-il initiated rare talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaks about possibility of denuclearisation and economic cooperation
  • August 29 – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi flees to Algeria with his wife and three children
  • August 29 – Toomas Hendrik Ilves is re-elected President of Estonia.
  • August 30 – Japan's governing party, the Democratic Party of Japan, votes Yoshihiko Noda as leader
  • August 31 – Libyan Rebels issue ultimatum to troops still loyal to Muammar Qaddafi, rebels say loyalists must surrender or face an attack

September

  • September 2 – Turkey expels Israeli diplomats in protest over Israeli raid on Gaza-bound ship, in which 9 Turkish nationals died
  • September 6 – A convoy of armed Gaddafi loyalists flee from Libya across the Northern border into Niger
  • September 10 – Protesters in Egypt force their way into the Israeli embassy in Cairo, following several days of protest outside the embassy
  • September 11 – Ceremonies held across America remembering the victims of the 9/11 attacks a decade after the event
  • September 13 – American embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul attacked by suicide bombers
  • September 15 – British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledge aid for Libya's new provisional leaders
  • September 17 – Occupy Wall Street begins in Zuccotti Park
  • September 21 – Hikers detained in Iran are freed
  • September 23 – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh returns from emergency medical treatment in Saudi Arabia
  • September 24 – Palestine leader Mahmoud Abbas submits request to the United Nations to be recognized as a state
  • September 24 – Vladimir Putin is set to return as Russia's president in 2012, Dmitry Medvedev the current President, will switch positions with Putin to become the Prime Minister
  • September 25 – Women in Saudi Arabia gain the right to vote and to stand for election
  • September 29 – Eurozone bailout fund is granted expanded powers in an attempt to stabilize the Euro

October

  • October 2 – Greece is set to default on a bailout package despite austerity measures, the bailout package is less than a year old
  • October 8 – Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh promises to cede power, a promise he has made 3 times in 2011
  • October 8 – Security council vetoes 2 resolutions on Syria, the drafts would have stopped aerial bombardment, the other would have urged a halt to hostilities
  • October 9 – 23 people die amid clashes between Egyptian Security Forces and protesters
  • October 9 – Germany's Merkel and France's Sarkozy agree to important changes to the way the Eurozone operates, in an attempt to end Euro crisis
  • October 11 – Israel and Hamas agree to a prisoner swap, 1000 Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit
  • October 15 – At least 70 people are injured in Rome, as protesters clash with police, amid protests inspired by Occupy Wall Street
  • October 15 – Protesters from Occupy Wall Street move to fill Time's Square
  • October 17 – Francois Hollande wins primary race of the French Socialist Party
  • October 22 – Heir to Saudi throne Abdul Aziz Al Saud dies at 85
  • October 23 – Libya's interim leaders declare liberation from the Gaddafi regime
  • October 24 – U.S. pull ambassador Robert Ford from Syria citing safety concerns
  • October 28 – Heads of government of the 16 Commonwealth realms unanimously supported the changes to the royal succession
  • October 31 – Global population reaches 7 Billion
  • October 31 – UNESCO accept Palestine's bid for full membership

November

December

References