in Iraq. 17 December – Evo Morales wins the presidential elections in Bolivia, ousting incumbent Eduardo Rodríguez and becoming the country's first indigenous leader. Deaths January 1 – Shirley Chisholm, first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress (born 1924) January 1 – Robert Matsui, Member of the U.S. Congress from Sacramento, California (born 1941) January 4 – Ali al-Haidri, Governor of Baghdad January 10 – James Forman, American civil rights activist (born 1928) January 17 – Zhao Ziyang, reformist Premier of the People's Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (born 1919) February 2 – Zurab Zhvania prime minister of Georgia, is suffocated in a gas leak at a friend's home February 6 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma President of Togo since 1967, dies of an illness February 14 – Former prime minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri is assassinated in Beirut in a massive car bomb explosion. February 24 – Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski, German politician March 8 – Aslan Maskhadov rebel President of Chechnya is killed in battle with Russian troops March 28 – Howell Heflin former United States senator from Alabama April 2 – Pope John Paul II, Head of the Roman Catholic Church and chief of state of the Vatican City dies of heart failure April 6 – Rainier III Prince of Monaco since 1948, second longest-reigning head of state in the world at the time of his death August 19 – Mo Mowlam, British MP (born 1949) See also List of years in politics Politics by year 21st century in politics 2000s in politics