February 29, 2004

Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as president of Haiti and flees the country for the Central African Republic. The chief justice of the Haitian supreme court, Boniface Alexandre, is sworn in as interim president. (Sydney Morning Herald) (Reuters) (Globe and Mail)
Occupation of Iraq
- Iraq's leaders meet deadline for drafting interim constitution. (CNN)
- Saddam Hussein's government systematically extorted billions of dollars in illegal payments from companies doing business with Iraq. (Seattle Times)
- Kurdistan activists bring petition to the authorities in Baghdad asking for a referendum on whether Kurds will stay within a united Iraq or to form an independent Kurdistan. (BBC)
76th Academy Awards: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins Best Picture and Director awards and nine others for a total of 11 Academy Awards, a tie for the most ever won by a single film, and the largest sweep ever for a single film, having received 11 nominations. Acting honors were as follows: Best Actor: Sean Penn for Mystic River, Best Actress: Charlize Theron for Monster, Best Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins for Mystic River, Best Supporting Actress: Renée Zellweger for Cold Mountain. (Newsday) (Box Office Mojo) (IMDB)
This day falls within a leap year.