2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Arguments about the recall drive
On December 18, 2002, just over a month after being reelected, Davis announced that California would face a record budget deficit possibly as high as $35 billion, a forecast $13.7 billion higher than one a month earlier. The number was finally estimated to be $38.2 billion, more than all 49 other states' deficits combined. Already suffering from low approval ratings, Davis's numbers hit historic lows in April 2003 with 24% approval and 65% disapproval, according to a California Field Poll. Davis was almost universally disliked by both Republicans and Democrats in the state and a recall push was high.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Arguments about the recall drive
A hot-button issue that seemed to galvanize the public was the vehicle license fee increase Davis implemented under provisions of legislation passed by his predecessor which originally reduced the fees. On June 20, 2003, the Davis administration re-instituted the full vehicle license fee, and the action withstood legal challenge. The action was a key step in the plan to close the $38 billion shortfall in the 2003–2004 budget. The increase tripled the vehicle license fee for the average car owner, and began appearing in renewal notices starting August 1. The California state budget passed in late July 2003 included the projected $4 billion in increased vehicle license fee revenue.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Arguments about the recall drive
Proponents of the Governor's recall characterized the increase as a tax hike and used it as an issue in the recall campaign. In mid-August 2003, Davis floated a plan to reverse the increase, making up the revenue with taxes on high income earners, cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Arguments about the recall drive
When Gray Davis was recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor in October 2003, Schwarzenegger vowed that his first act as governor would be to revoke the vehicle license fee increase. On November 17, just after his inauguration, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-1-03, rescinding the vehicle license fee retroactive to October 1, 2003 when the fee increase went into effect. Analysts predicted that this would add more than $4 billion to the state deficit. Schwarzenegger did not indicate how cities and counties would be reimbursed for the lost revenue they received from the license fee to support public safety and other local government activities.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
On February 5, 2003, anti-tax activist Ted Costa announced a plan to start a petition drive to recall Davis. Several committees were formed to collect signatures, but Costa's Davis Recall Committee was the only one authorized by the state to submit signatures. One committee "Recall Gray Davis Committee", organized by Republican political consultant Sal Russo and former Republican assemblyman Howard Kaloogian played a smaller role in drumming up support. Kaloogian served as chairman, Russo as chief strategist of the committee. After the recall both Kaloogian and Russo went on to found Move America Forward.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
By law, the committee had to collect signatures from registered California voters amounting to 12% of the number of Californians who voted in the previous gubernatorial election (November 2002) for the special recall vote to take place. The organization was given the go-ahead to collect signatures on March 25, 2003. Organizers had 160 days to collect signatures. Specifically, they had to collect at least 897,158 valid signatures from registered voters by September 2, 2003.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
The recall movement began slowly, largely relying on talk radio, a website, cooperative e-mail, word-of-mouth, and grassroots campaigning to drive the signature gathering. Davis derided the effort as "partisan mischief" by "a handful of right-wing politicians" and called the proponents losers. Nevertheless, by mid-May recall proponents said they had gathered 300,000 signatures. They sought to gather the necessary signatures by July in order to get the special election in the fall of 2003 instead of March 2004 during the Democratic presidential primary election, when Democratic Party turnout would presumably be higher. The effort continued to gather signatures, but the recall was far from a sure thing and the proponents were short on cash to promote their cause.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
The movement took off when wealthy U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, a Republican representing San Diego, California, announced on May 6 that he would use his personal money to push the effort. All told, he contributed $1.7 million of his own money to finance advertisements and professional signature-gatherers. With the movement accelerated, the recall effort began to make national news and soon appeared to be almost a sure thing. The only question was whether signatures would be collected quickly enough to force the special election to take place in late 2003 rather than in March 2004.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
The Issa recall committee's e-mail claimed that California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, belonging to the same party as the Governor, resisted certification of the recall signatures as long as possible. By mid-May, the recall organization was calling for funds to begin a lawsuit against Shelley, and publicly considered a separate recall effort for the Secretary of State (also an elected official in California).


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
However, by July 23, 2003, recall advocates turned in over 110% of the required signatures, and on that date, the Secretary of State announced that the signatures had been certified and a recall election would take place. Proponents had set a goal of 1.2 million to provide a buffer in case of invalid signatures. In the end, there were 1,363,411 valid signatures out of 1,660,245 collected (897,156 required).


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
On July 24, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante announced that Davis would face a recall election on October 7. This was to be the second gubernatorial recall election in United States history and the first in the history of California.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Background
California's Constitution required that a recall election be held within 80 days of the date the recall petition was certified, or within 180 days if a regularly scheduled statewide election came within that time. Had the petition been certified at the deadline of September 2, the election would have been held in March 2004, the next scheduled statewide election. Instead, Bustamante had to select a date. He chose Tuesday, October 7, 2003, which was 76 days after the date of certification.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Top candidates
In total, 135 candidates qualified for the ballot for the October 7 recall election. Several of the candidates were prominent celebrities. In the election, only four candidates received at least 1% of the vote:


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election process
The ballot consisted of two questions; voters could vote on one or the other, or on both. The first question asked whether Gray Davis should be recalled. It was a simple yes/no question, and if a majority voted no, then the second question would become irrelevant and Gray Davis would remain California governor. If a majority voted yes, then Davis would be removed from office once the vote was certified, and the second question would determine his successor.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election process
Voters had to choose one candidate from a long list of 135 candidates. Voters who voted against recalling Gray Davis could still vote for a candidate to replace him in case the recall vote succeeded. The candidate receiving the most votes (a plurality) would then become the next governor of California. Certification by the Secretary of State of California would require completion within 39 days of the election, and history indicated that it could require that entire time frame to certify the statewide election results. Once the results were certified, a newly elected governor would have to be sworn into office within 10 days.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Filing requirements and candidates
Those Californians wishing to run for governor were given until August 9 to file. The requirements to run were relatively low and attracted a number of interesting and strange candidates. A California citizen needed only to gather 65 signatures from their own party and pay a nonrefundable $3,500 fee to become a candidate, or in lieu of the fee collect up to 10,000 signatures from any party, the fee being prorated by the fraction of 10,000 valid signatures the candidate filed. No candidate in fact collected more than a handful of signatures-in-lieu, so that all paid almost the entire fee. In addition, however, candidates from recognized third parties were allowed on the ballot with no fee if they could collect 150 signatures from their own party.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Filing requirements and candidates
The low requirements attracted many "average joes" with no political experience to file as well as several celebrity candidates. Many prominent potential candidates chose not to run. These included Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, widely regarded as the most popular statewide office-holding Democrat in California, who cited her own experience with a recall drive while she was mayor of San Francisco.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Filing requirements and candidates
Darrell Issa, who bankrolled the recall effort and had said he would run for governor, abruptly dropped out of the race on August 7 among accusations that he had bankrolled the recall effort solely to get himself into office. Issa claimed that Schwarzenegger's decision to run did not affect his decision and he dropped out because he was assured that there were several strong candidates running in the recall. The San Francisco Chronicle claimed that Davis's attacks on Issa's "checkered past" and polls showing strong Republican support for Schwarzenegger caused Issa to withdraw.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Filing requirements and candidates
Former Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (a fellow Republican) agreed that only one of them would run; when Schwarzenegger announced on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that he would be a candidate, Riordan dropped out of the race. Riordan was surprised and those close to him say angered when he learned Schwarzenegger was running. Riordan did end up endorsing Schwarzenegger, but his endorsement was described as terse and matter-of-fact in contrast to his usually effusive way.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Filing requirements and candidates
Lt . Gov. Cruz Bustamante himself entered the race and quickly became the Democratic frontrunner, although he continued to oppose the recall and urged Californians to vote against it. State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (a Democrat) announced on August 7 that he would be a candidate for governor. However, just two days later and only hours before the deadline to file, he announced "I will not engage in this election as a candidate", adding, "this recall election has become a circus." Garamendi had been under tremendous pressure to drop out from fellow Democrats who feared a split of the Democratic vote between him and Bustamante, should the recall succeed.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Campaign
On September 3, five top candidates—independent Arianna Huffington, Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, Green Party candidate Peter Camejo, Republican State Senator Tom McClintock, and former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth—participated in a live television debate. Noticeably absent was Arnold Schwarzenegger who opponents charged was not adequately prepared. Schwarzenegger had repeatedly stated that he would not participate in such events until later in the election cycle. Prior to this first debate, Gov. Davis spent 30 minutes answering questions from a panel of journalists and voters.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Campaign
Due to the media attention focused on some candidates, GSN held a game show debate entitled Who Wants to Be Governor of California? – The Debating Game, a political game show featuring six candidates unlikely to win the election, including former child star Gary Coleman and porn star Mary Carey.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Campaign
Several candidates who would still be listed on the ballot dropped out of the campaign before the October 7 election. On August 23, Republican Bill Simon (the 2002 party nominee) announced he was dropping out. He said, "There are too many Republicans in this race and the people of our state simply cannot risk a continuation of the Gray Davis legacy." Simon did not endorse any candidates at the time, but several weeks later he endorsed front-runner Arnold Schwarzenegger, as did Darrell Issa, who had not filed for the race. On September 9, former MLB commissioner and Los Angeles Olympic Committee President Peter Ueberroth withdrew his candidacy in the recall election.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Campaign
On September 24, the remaining top five candidates (Schwarzenegger, Bustamante, Huffington, McClintock, and Camejo) gathered in the University Ballroom at California State University, Sacramento, for a live televised debate that resembled the red-carpet premiere of a movie in Hollywood. Schwarzenegger's marquee name attracted large crowds, a carnival atmosphere, and an army of hundreds of credentialed media from around the world. While the candidate and his staff rode on buses named Running Man and Total Recall, the reporters' buses were named after Predator.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Campaign
The aftermath of the debate was swift. On September 30, author Arianna Huffington withdrew her candidacy on the Larry King Live television program and announced that she was opposing the recall entirely in light of Arnold Schwarzenegger's surge in the polls. Apparently in response to her withdrawal, Cruz Bustamante endorsed her plan for public financing of election campaigns, an intended anti-corruption measure.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election issues, Concurrent alternatives
On July 29, 2003, federal judge Barry Moskowitz ruled section 11382 of the California election code unconstitutional. The provision required that only those voters who had voted in favor of the recall could cast a vote for a candidate for governor. The judge ruled that a voter could vote for or against the recall election and still vote for a replacement candidate. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley did not contest the ruling, thereby setting a legal precedent.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election issues, Availability of Spanish-speaking poll workers
In August, a federal judge in San Jose announced that he was considering issuing an order postponing the recall election. Activists in Monterey County had filed suit, claiming that Monterey County, and other counties of California affected by the Voting Rights Act were violating the act by announcing that, because of budgetary constraints, they were planning on hiring fewer Spanish-speaking poll watchers, and were going to cut back by almost half the number of polling places. On September 5, a three-member panel of federal judges ruled that the county's election plans did not constitute a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election issues, Punch card ballots
A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claimed that the use of the "hanging chad" style punch-card ballots still in use in six California counties (Los Angeles, Mendocino, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Solano) were in violation of fair election laws. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson in Los Angeles ruled on August 20, 2003, that the election would not be delayed because of the punch-card ballot problems.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election issues, Punch card ballots
There was an estimate that up 40,000 voters in those heavily minority districts might be disenfranchised, if the election were not postponed to remedy the difficulty. His ruling was appealed, and heard by three judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On September 15, the judges issued a unanimous ruling postponing the recall election until March 2004, on the grounds that the existence of allegedly obsolete voting equipment in those six counties violated the equal protection constitutional guarantee, thus overruling the lower district court which had rejected this argument.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election issues, Punch card ballots
Recall proponents questioned why punch-card ballots were adequate enough to elect Governor Davis, but were not good enough to recall him. Proponents planned to appeal the postponement to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, an 11-judge en banc panel, also from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and quickly and carefully canvassed by Judge Alex Kozinski, gathered to rehear the controversial case. On the morning of September 23, the panel reversed the three-judge ruling in a unanimous decision, arguing that the concerns about the punch-card ballots were outweighed by the harm that would be done by postponing the election.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Election issues, Punch card ballots
Further legal appeals were discussed but did not occur. The ACLU announced it would not make an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Davis was widely quoted in the press as saying "Let's just get it over with." Thus the election proceeded as planned on October 7.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Polling
Public opinion was divided on the recall, with many passionately-held positions on both sides of the recall election. Californians were fairly united in their disapproval of Governor Davis's handling of the state, with his approval numbers in the mid-20s. On the question of whether he should be recalled, Californians were more divided, but polls in the weeks leading up to the election consistently showed that a majority would vote to remove him.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Polling
Polls also showed that the two leading candidates, Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat, and Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, were neck and neck with about 25–35% of the vote each, and Bustamante with a slight lead in most polls. Republican State Senator Tom McClintock also polled in the double-digits. Remaining candidates polled in the low single digits. Polls in the final week leading up to the election showed support for Davis slipping and support for Schwarzenegger growing.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Polling
Many observers outside California, and some members of the press, consistently called the recall chaos and madness as well as a media circus and nightmare. With the candidacies of a few celebrities and many regular Californians, the entire affair became a joke to some (there were tongue-in-cheek references to Schwarzenegger's role in the science fiction film Total Recall) as well as an "only-in-California" event. Nevertheless, most Californians took the recall seriously, with the future of the governor's office at stake. In the months before the election, 380,000 Californians registered to vote, for a total of 15.3 million—more registered voters than there had been in the three previous presidential elections.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
The first question was whether Davis, the sitting governor, should be recalled; those voting on it were 55.4% in favor of recall and 44.6% opposed.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
The second question was who would replace the governor in the event that a majority voted to recall him. Among those voting on the potential replacement, Schwarzenegger received a plurality of 48.6%, surpassing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's 31.5% – about a 3-to-2 ratio. Republican Tom McClintock received 13.4% of the vote – less than half the share of the candidate he trailed. Green Party candidate Peter Camejo polled 2.8%, trailing the third-place candidate by almost four-to-one. Each remaining candidate polled 0.6% or less.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
Schwarzenegger's votes exceeded those for the next five candidates combined, despite the presumed division of Republican voters between him and McClintock. There were also more votes for Schwarzenegger (4,206,284) than votes against recalling Davis (4,007,783), avoiding the theoretical scenario of the replacement having less support than the recalled governor.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
At 10 p.m. local time, Davis conceded that he had lost to Schwarzenegger, saying, "We've had a lot of good nights over the last 20 years, but tonight the people did decide that it's time for someone else to serve, and I accept their judgment." About 40 minutes later, in his acceptance speech, Schwarzenegger said, "Today California has given me the greatest gift of all: You've given me your trust by voting for me. I will do everything I can to live up to that trust. I will not fail you."


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
Following the election, all 58 of California's counties had 28 days (until November 4, 2003) each to conduct a countywide canvass of their votes. Counties used this time to count any absentee ballots or provisional ballots not yet counted, to reconcile the number of signatures on the roster of registered voters with the number of ballots recorded on the ballot statement, to count any valid write-in votes, to reproduce any damaged ballots, if necessary, and to conduct a hand count of the ballots cast in 1% of the precincts, chosen at random by the elections official.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
Counties then had seven days from the conclusion of canvassing (November 11, 2003, 35 days after the election) to submit their final vote totals to the California Secretary of State's office. The Secretary of State had to certify the final statewide vote by 39 days (until November 15) after the election.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
The vote was officially certified on November 14, 2003. Once the vote was certified, governor-elect Schwarzenegger had to be sworn into office within ten days. His inauguration took place on November 17, 2003.


2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Recall election, Results
Note that San Bernardino County did not report write-in votes for individual candidates.


2003 California wildfires
The 2003 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that were active in the state of California during the year 2003. In dry January 2003 has 31 days straight with no rain in Southern California, and wet mid February 2003 arrives in California. In total, there were 9,116 fires that burned 1,020,460 acres (4,129.7 km2) of land.


2003 California wildfires
2003 California wildfires resulted in 24 fatalities; many of the victims were killed in their cars while trying to flee.


2003 California wildfires
By the time the 14 major fires were extinguished, 24 lives were lost, 3,710 homes were destroyed and 750,043 acres were blackened. In addition, countless miles of power lines were damaged, communication systems destroyed, watersheds reduced to bare scorched soils and thousands of people were forced into evacuation centers, unsure if they would have a home to return to—many did not."


2003 California wildfires
We had rain in Southern California until end of October 2003 it arrived on Halloween 2003, after the wildfires put out.


2003 California wildfires, Fires
Below is a list of fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) during the 2003 fire season. The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.


2003 Cambodian general election
General elections were held in Cambodia on 27 July 2003 to elect members of the National Assembly. The elections were won by the ruling Cambodian People's Party, which won a majority of 73 seats in the 123-seat parliament. However, due to the requirement for a two-thirds majority to elect a Prime Minister, a new government was not formed until July 2004 when a deal was reached with the FUNCINPEC party. Hun Sen was subsequently re-elected the post of Prime Minister.


2003 Cambodian general election, Background
Cambodia became a democracy in the early 1990s with the first democratic elections held in 1993. After both elections during the 1990s the Cambodian People's Party formed coalition governments with the royalist FUNCINPEC party. The previous elections in 1998 saw significant violence and intimidation of opposition supporters. It took place a year after FUNCINPEC had been violently ousted from the coalition government by the Cambodian People's Party. However following the election they once more formed a coalition with Hun Sen as Prime Minister and FUNCINPEC's leader Prince Norodom Ranarridh, the son of King Norodom Sihanouk, as his deputy.


2003 Cambodian general election, Background
In local elections in 2002 the Cambodian People's Party performed strongly leading in 1,597 of the 1,621 communes of Cambodia. Meanwhile, FUNCINPEC suffered a setback dropping to only 22% of the vote.


2003 Cambodian general election, Campaign
The run-up to the election saw some violence including the killing of a judge and a royalist politician, however it was much reduced from previous elections. During the campaign the United States Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Cambodia, met all three main party leaders and called on all parties to have fair coverage in the media. The opposition were able to get some time on television during the campaign, but there were many reports in rural areas of voters being intimidated by the Cambodian People's Party. In total 22 parties contested the election but only three were seen as real contenders in the election.


2003 Cambodian general election, Campaign
The Cambodian People's Party had control of much of the media in Cambodia, the most money and a superior party machine. The party campaigned on the economic development they said that they were bringing to Camdodia and in the March before the election they announced a 1.5 billion dollar program to counter poverty. The party and their leader Hun Sen won support from voters due to their presiding over the most peaceful period in the countries recent history after ending the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The party had the strongest support in rural areas of Cambodia, but younger voters in urban areas were more desirous of change and therefore supportive of the opposition.


2003 Cambodian general election, Campaign
The two main opposition parties criticised the government of Hun Sen for its corruption and pledged to improve health and education in Cambodia. FUNCINPEC called for reform of the economy and for more foreign investment, but their leader, Norodom Ranariddh, was seen as being ineffective and his party's popularity was in decline. Meanwhile, the Sam Rainsy Party criticised corruption, pledged more money for health, education and civil servant pay and attempted to attract the poor. The party had grown in strength since the previous election but their leader Sam Rainsy was seen as being authoritarian.


2003 Cambodian general election, Results
Voter turnout in the election was high with over 80% casting ballots. The results saw the Cambodian People's Party win a clear majority of seats but fell short of the two-thirds majority required in order to elect a Prime Minister on their own. FUNCINPEC lost ground dropping from the 31% they had won in 1998 to only just over 20% this time, while the Sam Rainsy Party rose to 22% from 14% in 1998.


2003 Cambodian general election, Aftermath
Following the election, FUNCINPEC and the Sam Rainsy Party refused to attend parliament and formed an "Alliance of Democrats" in order to block Hun Sen from being elected Prime Minister again. They rejected the official results and said that they had been manipulated by the Cambodian People's Party.


2003 Cambodian general election, Aftermath
After initially boycotting parliament the two parties were persuaded by the King to attend the swearing in at the end of September, but remained firm in rejecting joining a government led by Hun Sen. However, despite no government being formed, a caretaker administration run by Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party was able to continue.


2003 Cambodian general election, Aftermath
A provisional agreement was said to have been reached in November on a three party government led by Hun Sen but the opposition later denied this. Personal dislike between the three parties and the opposition of the Cambodia People's Party to a three party government meant negotiations on forming a government dragged on into 2004. Eventually, 11 months after the election, towards the end of June 2004 the Cambodia People's Party and FUNCINPEC reached an agreement under which ministerial seats would be divided up 60-40 between them and Hun Sen would remain Prime Minister.


2003 Cambodian general election, Aftermath
On the 15 July 2004 the Cambodian parliament finally approved the new government with 96 of the 123 members voting in favour. There was a significant increase in the number of ministers to 207, including 7 deputy prime ministers and 180 cabinet ministers, in order to reach agreement on the new government.


2003 Cameroonian Premier League
In the 2003 Cameroonian Premier League season, 16 teams competed. Cotonsport Garoua won the championship.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The 2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was the 47th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. The first edition with only a double round-robin and no playoffs, it began on March 29, 2003, and reached its end on December 14. The competition was won by Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, who completed a treble.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Format
The 24 teams played against each other twice. At the season finale, the team with the most accumulated points (3 for each win, 1 for a draw, none for a loss) was declared champion. The two worst teams were relegated to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B of the following year.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
The football (soccer) Campeonato Brasileiro Série B 2003, the second level of Brazilian National League, was played from April 25 to November 29, 2003. The competition had 24 clubs and two of them were promoted to Série A and two were relegated to Série C.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
In the first round, each team played against each other, much like what happens in Série A. However, in contrast to Série A, each team played against the other only once. Therefore, each team played 23 games, 12 home and 11 away (or the opposite). The eight best ranked teams advanced to the second round, where they were divided in two groups of four. Teams in each group played against each other home and away. The two best ranked teams in each group advanced to the final round. Those four teams were put in a single group, and played against each other home and away.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
Palmeiras finished the final phase group with most points and was declared 2003 Brazilian Série B champions, claiming the promotion to the 2004 Série A along with Botafogo, the runners-up. The two worst ranked teams in the first round (Gama and União São João) were relegated to play Série C in 2004.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série C
The football (soccer) Campeonato Brasileiro Série C 2003, the third level of Brazilian National League, was played from September 17 to December 7, 2003. The competition had 95 clubs and two of them were promoted to Série B.


2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série C
Ituano finished the final phase group with most points and was declared 2003 Brazilian Série C champions, claiming the promotion to the 2004 Série B along with Santo André, the runners-up.


2003 Campeonato Carioca
The 2003 edition of the Campeonato Carioca kicked off on January 16 and ended on March 23, 2003. It is the official tournament organized by FFERJ (Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, or Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation. Only clubs based in the Rio de Janeiro State are allowed to play. Twelve teams contested this edition. Vasco da Gama won the title for the 22nd time. Volta Redonda was relegated.


2003 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A
The 2003 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol de la Serie A (known as the 2003 Copa Pílsener Serie A for sponsorship reasons) was the 46th season of the Serie A, the top level of professional football in Ecuador. LDU Quito won their seventh national championship.


2003 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A, Format
The tournament for this season was composed of three stages:


2003 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A, Format
The First Stage and Second Stage are identical. The ten teams competed in a double round-robin tournament, one game at home and one away. The top three teams in each stage qualified to the Liguilla Final with bonus points (3, 2, and 1 point[s], respectively). At the end of the Second Stage, the team with the fewest points in the aggregate table were relegated to the Serie B.


2003 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A, Format
The Liguilla Final was a double round-robin tournament between the six qualified teams of the First and Second Stage. The winner of the Liguilla Final was crowned the Serie A champion. The champion, runner-up, and third-place finisher qualified to the 2004 Copa Libertadores.


2003 Campeonato Gaúcho
The 83rd season of the Campeonato Gaúcho kicked off on February 1, 2003 and ended on July 3, 2003. Eighteen teams participated. Holders Internacional beat 15 de Novembro in the finals, winning their 35th title. São Luiz and Palmeirense were relegated.


2003 Campeonato Mineiro
The 2003 Campeonato Mineiro de Futebol do Módulo I was the 89th season of Minas Gerais's top-flight professional football league. The season began on January 26 and ended on March 30. Cruzeiro won the title for the 32nd time.


2003 Campeonato Paulista
The 2003 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1 was the 102nd season of São Paulo's top professional football league. Corinthians won the championship by the 25th time. Botafogo-SP and Internacional de Limeira were relegated.


2003 Campeonato Paulista, Format
On the first stage, the 21 teams are split in 3 groups with 7 teams each. In each group, every team play against all the other teams in the same group. The first and second teams from each group qualify to the quarterfinals. The two best teams in the overall standings also qualify. The 12 worst teams advance to the relegation tournament.


2003 Campeonato Paulista, Format
The quarterfinals are played in one-leg, and the semifinals and the finals are played in two-leg. On the relegation tournament, the twelve teams are split in two groups of six. Each team plays against all the teams in the other group. The worst club in this stage standings is relegated, and the second worst club has to play a relegation playoff match against the runner-up from the second division.


2003 Campeonato Paulista, Relegation playoff
The team with the second worst campaign plays against the runner-up from the second division of the state championship.


2003 Campeonato Paulista, Relegation playoff
Atlético Sorocaba is promoted to the state championship's first division, and Botafogo-SP is relegated to the second division.


2003 Campeonato da 1ª Divisão do Futebol
Statistics of Campeonato da 1ª Divisão do Futebol in the 2003 season.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia
The 2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Palermo, Italy and was part of the International Series of the 2003 ATP Tour. It was the 25th edition of the tournament and was held from 22 September until 28 September 2003. First-seeded Nicolás Massú won the singles title.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia, Finals, Doubles
Lucas Arnold /  Mariano Hood defeated  František Čermák /  Leoš Friedl 7–6(8–6), 6–7(3–7), 6–3


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia – Doubles
Lucas Arnold and Luis Lobo were the defending champions but only Arnold competed that year with Mariano Hood.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia – Doubles
Arnold and Hood won in the final 7–6(8–6), 6–7(3–7), 6–3 against František Čermák and Leoš Friedl.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia – Singles
Fernando González was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia – Singles
Nicolás Massú won in the final 1–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–0) against Paul-Henri Mathieu.


2003 Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


2003 Canada Cup of Curling
The 2003 Strauss Canada Cup of Curling was held January 8–12, 2003, at Sport Mart Place in Kamloops, British Columbia. The winning teams received berths into the 2005 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, the 2003 Continental Cup of Curling and the 2004 Canada Cup of Curling. It was the inaugural edition of this event.


2003 Canada Cup of Curling
The winners were Randy Ferbey, who pocketed $53,000 after defeating John Morris, 7-5 in the men’s final and Sherry Middaugh, who earned $52,250 after beating Kelley Law, 8-7 in the women’s final.


2003 Canada Masters and the Rogers AT&T Cup
The 2003 Canada Masters and the Rogers AT&T Cup were tennis tournaments played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 114th edition of the Canada Masters and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2003 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 2003 WTA Tour. The men's tournament took place at the du Maurier Stadium in Montreal in Canada from August 4 through August 10, 2003 while the women's event took place at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto in Canada from August 11 through August 17, 2003.


2003 Canada Masters and the Rogers AT&T Cup
On the men's side were present World No. 1, Australian Open and Miami champion Andre Agassi, French Open and Monte Carlo winner Juan Carlos Ferrero and Wimbledon champion Roger Federer. Other top seeds competing were recent Umag winner Carlos Moyá, Indian Wells champion Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Guillermo Coria and Rainer Schüttler.


2003 Canada Masters and the Rogers AT&T Cup
The women's field was led by new World No. 1, French Open, Indian Wells, Rome and recent Los Angeles champion Kim Clijsters, Charleston and Berlin winner Justine Henin-Hardenne and Warsaw champion Amélie Mauresmo. Among other seeds were Australian Open quarterfinalist Daniela Hantuchová, Doha champion Anastasia Myskina, Magdalena Maleeva, Amanda Coetzer and Jelena Dokić.


2003 Canada Masters and the Rogers AT&T Cup, Finals, Men's Doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi /  Max Mirnyi defeated  Jonas Björkman /  Todd Woodbridge 6–3, 7–6(7–4)


2003 Canada Masters and the Rogers AT&T Cup, Finals, Women's Doubles
Svetlana Kuznetsova /  Martina Navratilova defeated  María Vento-Kabchi /  Angelique Widjaja 3–6, 6–1, 6–1


2003 Canada Masters – Doubles
The 2003 Canada Masters – Doubles was the men's doubles event of the one hundred and fourteenth edition of the Canada Masters; a WTA Tier I tournament and the most prestigious men's tennis tournament held in Canada. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions but lost in the semifinals to Jonas Björkman and Todd Woodbridge. Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi won in the final 6–3, 7–6(7–4) against Björkman and Woodbridge.


2003 Canada Masters – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated. All eight seeded teams received byes to the second round.


2003 Canada Masters – Singles
The 2003 Canada Masters – Singles was the men's singles event of the one hundred and fourteenth edition of the Canada Masters; a WTA Tier I tournament and the most prestigious men's tennis tournament held in Canada. Guillermo Cañas was the defending champion but did not compete that year. Andy Roddick won in the final 6–1, 6–3 against David Nalbandian.


2003 Canada Masters – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


2003 Canadian Figure Skating Championships
The 2003 Canadian Figure Skating Championships took place between January 6–12, 2003 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Canada and is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior and junior levels. Due to the large number of competitors, the senior men's and senior ladies' qualifying were split into two groups. Aside from determining the national champions, the event also served to help choose the Canadian teams to the 2003 World Championships, the 2003 Four Continents Championships, and the 2003 World Junior Championships.


2003 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2003 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 15 June 2003 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.


2003 Canadian Grand Prix
Michael Schumacher took the win, despite nursing an ailing car home towards the end of the race, with the Williamses of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya right behind him, and the Renault of Fernando Alonso not far behind them.


2003 Canadian Grand Prix
This was the fourth time that the Schumacher brothers had finished 1-2, having become the first siblings to do so at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix.


2003 Canadian Junior Curling Championships
The 2003 Kärcher Canadian Junior Curling Championships were held February 1–9 at the Rideau and Ottawa Curling Clubs in Ottawa. Teams from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan won both the men's and women's event. Both teams would go on to win gold medals for Canada at the 2003 World Junior Curling Championships. The men's event was won by the Steve Laycock rink from the Sutherland Curling Club, while the women's event was won by the Marliese Miller (now Kasner) rink from the Nutana Curling Club.


2003 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Qualification, Ontario
The Teranet Ontario Junior Curling Championships were held January 7-12 at the Brant Curling Club in Brantford.


2003 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Qualification, Ontario
Stephanie Gray defeated Lee Merklinger from the Granite Curling Club of West Ottawa in the women's final.


2003 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Qualification, Ontario
In the men's final, Mark Bice of the Sarnia Curling Club defeated Chris Ciasnocha of the Rideau Curling Club 7-5.


2003 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship
The 2003 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship was held January 11-19 at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia.


2003 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship
Nova Scotia's Paul Flemming rink beat Alberta's Shannon Kleibrink in the final. Kleibrink was the first woman to ever skip a team at the Mixed. She would go on to win the event in 2004.


2003 Canadian Open (curling)
The 2003 Canadian Open curling men's Grand Slam tournament was held November 6–9, 2003 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba.


2003 Canadian Open (curling)
The total purse for the event was $100,000. The tournament format was a triple knock out with an 8 team playoff. The playoffs were televised on Rogers Sportsnet.


2003 Canadian Open (curling)
Glen Despins of Regina, Saskatchewan won his lone career grand slam event, earning $30,000 for his team.


2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season
The 2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the sixth season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 24, 2003 and concluded on October 5, 2003 with the Brampton Hitmen defeating Vaughan Sun Devils 1-0 to capture the CPSL Championship (known as the Rogers CPSL Cup for sponsorship reasons). The victory marked Brampton's first championship title, and the final was played at Cove Road Stadium in London, Ontario. During the regular season the Ottawa Wizards and the Hamilton Thunder won their respective conferences. Ottawa became the second CPSL franchise to go undefeated throughout the regular season.


2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season
Unfortunately the season was plagued with controversy as the Wizards withdrew from the playoff competition, due to a dispute with the CPSL Executive Committee. Another controversy stemmed from a quarterfinal match between Brampton and Toronto Croatia, where Toronto won the match on penalties, but was reversed by the league due to Toronto using an ineligible coach and general manager. On a positive note the league's television program the CPSL Soccer Show recorded the highest ratings of any other Sunday program shown on Rogers TV.


2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season, Changes from 2002 season
The 2003 season saw the league decrease by one team due to the fact that the York Region Shooters merged with the Vaughan Sun Devils to unite the York Region territory. The Montreal Dynamites moved to the Montreal suburb of Laval and changed their team name accordingly.


2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season, Individual awards
The annual CPSL awards ceremony was held at German-Canadian Club on October 5, 2003 in London, Ontario. The Ottawa Wizards finished on top with the most wins with two awards. The undefeated Eastern Conference champions produced the Rookie of the Year with McDonald Yobe, a former Malawian international. After conceding the lowest number of goals the league voted New Zealand journeyman Simon Eaddy with the Goalkeeper of the Year award. Phil Ionadi a former CNSL and USL A-League veteran captained the Brampton Hitmen to a CPSL Championship, and in returned was named the MVP.


2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season, Individual awards
Carlo Arghittu of St. Catharines Wolves another former CNSL and USL A-League veteran was given the Golden Boot for finishing as the league's top goalscorer. Domagoj Sain was given his second consecutive Defender of the Year award. After a disastrous 2002 season Toronto Supra brought in Jose Testas a former Primeira Liga, and Segunda Divisão player to manage the club. Testas immediately changed the club into a championship contender by finishing second in their division, and for his achievement was granted the Coach of the Year award. The Durham Flames received their second Fair Play award for being the most disciplined team. While Michael Lambert who officiated the championship final was given his second Referee of the Year award.


2003 Canadian Senior Curling Championships
The 2003 Canadian Senior Curling Championships were held January 18–26 at the Lethbridge Curling Club in Lethbridge, Alberta.


2003 Canadian federal budget
The Canadian federal budget of 2003 was unveiled on February 18, 2003. It was the first budget issued by Finance Minister John Manley who was given the job in May 2002 replacing Paul Martin. It was also the last budget of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.


2003 Canadian federal budget
In the previous fiscal year the Canadian economy had done well, despite the recent recession in the United States. The budget saw another large surplus, which was enhanced by a shift to more stringent accrual accounting announced in the budget.


2003 Canadian federal budget
The bill was largely seen as a departure from the fiscal austerity of the last several years. It had a wide range of new spending initiatives on health care, child care, defence, education, and other social programs. The budget had only limited tax cuts, mostly directed at corporations. The budget set forth a plan of gradual reductions that would see corporate taxes fall well below American levels. The most important was the reduction of the Canadian Capital Tax. Employment Insurance premiums were also cut.


2003 Canarian Island Cabildo elections
The 2003 Canarian Island Cabildo elections were held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 7th Island Cabildos of El Hierro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote and Tenerife. All 149 seats in the seven Island Cabildos were up for election.


2003 Canarian Island Cabildo elections, Island Cabildo control
The following table lists party control in the Island Cabildos. Gains for a party are displayed with the cell's background shaded in that party's colour.


2003 Canarian regional election
The 2003 Canarian regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Parliament of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. All 60 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Canarian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Parliament of the Canary Islands was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Canarian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Government. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Canary Islands and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2003 Canarian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 60 members of the Parliament of the Canary Islands were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of 30 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Alternatively, parties could also enter the seat distribution as long as they reached six percent regionally. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the islands of El Hierro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote and Tenerife. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 3 for El Hierro, 7 for Fuerteventura, 15 for Gran Canaria, 4 for La Gomera, 8 for La Palma, 8 for Lanzarote and 15 for Tenerife.


2003 Canarian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Canarian regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Parliament of the Canary Islands expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Parliament were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 25 May 2003.


2003 Canarian regional election, Overview, Election date
The Parliament of the Canary Islands could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament except in the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot. In such a case, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.


2003 Canberra Women's Classic
The 2003 Canberra Women's Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the National Sports Club in Canberra, Australia and was part of the Tier V category of the 2003 WTA Tour. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from 6 through 12 January 2003. Second-seeded Meghann Shaughnessy won the singles title and earned $16,000 first-prize money.


2003 Canberra Women's Classic, Finals, Doubles
Tathiana Garbin /  Émilie Loit defeated  Dája Bedáňová /  Dinara Safina 6–3, 3–6, 6–4


2003 Canberra Women's Classic – Doubles
Nannie de Villiers and Irina Selyutina were the defending champions, but Selyutina chose not to compete, and de Villiers chose to participate in the Hobart International instead.


2003 Canberra Women's Classic – Singles
Anna Smashnova was the defending champion, but chose not to compete in 2003.


2003 Canberra Women's Classic – Singles
Meghann Shaughnessy won the title, defeating Francesca Schiavone in the final in straight sets.


2003 Canberra bushfires
The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. After burning for a week around the edges of the ACT, the fires entered the suburbs of Canberra on 18 January 2003. Over the next ten hours, four people died, over 490 were injured, and 470 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, requiring a significant relief and reconstruction effort.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Buildup to the event
On 8 January 2003, lightning strikes started four fires in New South Wales, over the border but in close proximity to Canberra. Despite their proximity and very small initial sizes, low intensity, and low rate of spread, these fires were not extinguished or contained by New South Wales emergency services personnel. Subsequent inquiries into the bushfires, including the Roche report, the McLeod inquiry, and the Coroners Report, identified poor management of the initial response as a key contributor to the disaster that unfolded on 18 January 2003.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Buildup to the event
On 13 January, a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter that had been waterbombing the fires in the forests west of Canberra crashed into Bendora Dam with one person, pilot Duncan Patrick, injured. The pilot was reloading water buckets from the dam at the time of the crash. ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and ACT Chief Fire Control Officer Peter Lucas-Smith were reviewing the fires nearby during a routine bushfire surveillance flight in the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Buildup to the event
The unconscious pilot had been pulled from the sinking wreckage by a SouthCare rescue helicopter medical crewman Euan McKenzie, but due to the weight of his clothes and lack of life vest, was unable to be dragged from the water. The pilot of the Southcare chopper cautiously positioned his aircraft to allow Stanhope, Lucas-Smith and a paramedic on board to dive into the dam and bring the injured pilot about 60 metres to shore for resuscitation by Lucas-Smith and McKenzie. The pilot had head injuries and underwent emergency surgery at Canberra Hospital.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Buildup to the event
Both Stanhope and Lucas-Smith received the Royal Life Saving Society's rescue medal to commemorate their bravery in the rescue. McKenzie received the society's highest award, the Bravery Cross, which recognises undertaking a rescue in an aquatic environment under circumstances that endanger the rescuer's life.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Buildup to the event
On 17 January, the Emergency Services Bureau (ESB) released its final media release prior to 18 January at 8:50 pm. This media release differed to any previous one in format and content. It also provided several clues that were overlooked in the assessment of the risk Canberra faced.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Buildup to the event
For example, one point of the release stated that bushfire logistical support staging areas were being relocated from Bulls Head and Orroral Valley (far outside urban Canberra) to the North Curtin District Playing Fields (far inside urban Canberra), signalling both a major retreat by fire fighters and pointing to imminent danger to the city itself.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
The morning of Saturday 18 January 2003 was hot, windy and dry. Temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F) and winds exceeding 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour), plus a very low relative humidity, were the main weather features of the day. Two fires continued to burn out of control in the Namadgi National Park, with the entire park, along with the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, being closed due to the threat. A second fire, in the Brindabella Ranges, was threatening to break containment lines.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
By 9 am on the morning of Saturday 18 January, burned leaves appeared on lawns in houses in the Weston Creek, Kambah, and Tuggeranong suburbs bordering the western extremity of Canberra. By 10 am, news helicopters were overflying Duffy and reporting news of the fires interstate and internationally, but no news was available locally.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
Throughout the day, the fires burned closer to the fringes of Canberra's suburbs, and there was no sign of authorities gaining control of the situation. At around 2 pm, police evacuated the township of Tharwa to the south of Canberra.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
By mid-afternoon, it had become apparent that the fires posed an immediate threat to the settlements near Canberra, such as Uriarra and Stromlo, as well as to the houses on the city's urban-bushland interface. A state of emergency was declared at 2.45 pm by the ACT's Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
The fires reached the urban area at 3 pm. The first emergency warning advisories were broadcast shortly after, on radio and television, with the advisories updated throughout the day. These advisories, accompanied by the Emergency Warning Signal stated that a significant "deterioration" of the fire situation in the ACT had occurred and placed several suburbs on alert to evacuate. As the day continued, these advisories advised the evacuation of several suburbs (also enforced by Police on the ground) and placed most suburbs of Canberra on some level of alert. By now, the fire had reached the fringes of many suburbs, was surrounding Tharwa, and threatened the historic Lanyon Homestead, which was hosting a wedding and protected by only a single fire truck.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
By 3.50 pm, some houses were alight in the suburbs of Duffy and Chapman, with the loss of a home in Holder soon after. An ACT Fire Brigade unit, perceiving the fire from a vantage point in Fyshwick, overrode instructions by the radio controller to ignore the signs and remain where they were. The unit headed to Duffy, attempting to alert both controllers and residents to the imminent danger. That unit was caught in a fire front on Warragamba Avenue Duffy at around 4.10 pm, after having rescued at least two residents. Both the crew and residents were forced to flee the appliance when the fire struck.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
Due to fire damage to infrastructure and extreme winds bringing down powerlines across the area, large parts of the city lost power. Fires also started in Giralang because of powerline problems. Evacuation centres were set up at four schools – Canberra College, UC Senior Secondary  College Lake Ginninderra (then Lake Ginninderra College), Erindale College, and Narrabundah College. A dark cloud hung over the city, and, although it was not in danger, Parliament House was closed.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
By 5 pm, houses were reported destroyed in Duffy, Chapman, Kambah, Holder, and Rivett, as well as in the small forestry settlement of Uriarra. It was later found that the first casualty of the fires, an elderly woman named Dorothy McGrath, had died at the nearby Stromlo Forestry Settlement. Escape for residents was hampered by poor warning and by the settlement's location, surrounded by the pine forest. Fires in the Michelago area forced the closure of the Monaro Highway into Canberra. Fires spread through the Kambah Pool area and into the suburb of Kambah, causing damage to many homes and one of the ACT's primary Urban and Rural fire stations.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
Fire spread through parkland, crossing the Tuggeranong Parkway and Sulwood Drive finally engulfing Mount Taylor. Within an hour, houses were also burning in Torrens, on the slopes of Mount Taylor, and in Weston. The fires by now had inflicted severe damage to the city's infrastructure. Power supplies were cut to several suburbs. These outages affected both the Emergency Services Bureau's own headquarters in Curtin and the Canberra Hospital (running on back-up generators), which was under intense pressure from people suffering burns and smoke inhalation. In Curtin, the ESA headquarters was in danger from the fires.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
With back-up power available only to the Communications Centre, many personnel were forced to work on tables outside as Army Reserve personnel hosed down the building. It was later noted that the ESB could have moved its operations away from danger to other emergency service locations such as the AFP Winchester Centre or Tuggeranong Police Station. Water, gas, sewerage, and communications were heavily affected. Water, gas, and landline communications was unavailable to several suburbs due to damage to supply lines and city reservoirs.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
Mobile telecommunications were severely affected due to increased traffic, causing serious disruption to mobile phone networks and the ESA's own radio and dispatch networks. A local generator services business later reported on their website that the ash and smoke were so intense, that some back-up power diesel generators at communication and data centres failed to produce enough power due to air intake filters clogging up. At least one generator air intake filter burned as it sucked in burning leaves blowing in the strong winds.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
The fires impacted part of the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre (LMWQCC), responsible for treating the city's sewage and waste water before its release into the Molonglo River. The plant's operations were disrupted due to fire damage, causing concern about the possible release of sewage into the Molonglo River, as the plant's reserve storage could only hold one day of surplus. However, the lack of resources and equipment failures for crews protecting the plant could have led to a catastrophe, as detailed in Danny Camilleri's testimony in Coroner Maria Doogan's subsequent inquest into the fires.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
Camilleri testified that his crews arrived to find much of the area around the plant on fire, with a significant risk of the fire endangering dangerous substances stored at the plant to treat waste, including chlorine. He stated that if the fire had caused a breach in the chlorine tanks, it would have created "a poisonous cloud that would blow toward Canberra necessitating mass evacuations".


2003 Canberra bushfires, Events of 18 January
By 10 pm, one of the four evacuation centres in Canberra was completely full, and the others were filling up quickly. Reports of looting also began to arrive from the damaged areas. Both Prime Minister John Howard and Governor General Peter Hollingworth changed their plans to return to Canberra as soon as was possible. While the very worst of the fires had passed, the situation was still far from stable, and going into Sunday, 19 January, houses were still ablaze across numerous suburb


2003 Canberra bushfires, Aftermath
By the evening of 19 January, it was clear that the worst-hit suburb was Duffy, where 200+ residences were destroyed, and that four people had died: Alison Tener, 38, Peter Brooke, 74, and Douglas Fraser, 60, and Dorothy McGrath, 76, of the Mount Stromlo Forestry Settlement. The loss of life, damage to property, and destruction of forests to the west of the city caused not just economic loss but significant social impacts.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Aftermath
Bushfires severely harmed the vegetation of the Cotter River Catchment and caused water quality problems in the three dams in the catchment: Corin, Bendora and Cotter Dams. For quite some time after the fires, turbidity in the water due to silt and ash from surrounding burnt-out forests meant Canberra had to rely on Googong Dam on the Queanbeyan River, which was not affected by the fires. Given the drought and existing water shortages, this effectively reduced Canberra's water reserves to around 15% for some time. An upgrade to the Stromlo Water Treatment Plant was subsequently required to allow extra filtration of water to cope with the diminished quality in the future.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Aftermath
As with any bushfire, the environment will take significant time to regenerate. Regeneration of vegetation was delayed by an ongoing drought in the region.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Aftermath, Mount Stromlo
Perhaps the most notable cultural and scientific loss caused by the fires was the damage to the scenic and renowned Mount Stromlo Observatory (headquarters of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics of the Australian National University), which is estimated to be the source of a third of Australia's astronomical research. Five historically significant telescopes were destroyed. Instrumentation and engineering workshops, the observatory's library, and the main administration buildings were consumed. The visitors' centre or "Exploratory" housing public exhibits and cafe escaped the fires unscathed, despite being on the edge of a steep gradient, which fires had roared up, and being only metres from the 74-inch (1.88 m) telescope, which was completely destroyed.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Aftermath, Mount Stromlo
The insurance payment sought by the Australian National University (ANU), amounting to 75 million Australian dollars, could have become the largest insurance claim in Australian history. However, in August 2009, during trial in the ACT Supreme Court, the three insurance companies settled out of court, paying the ANU an undisclosed sum. A related claim against ANU's insurance broker, Aon Risk Services Australia Ltd, for failing to renew insurance coverage on some structures, was also settled for an unstated amount in June 2011.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Aftermath, Mount Stromlo
Canberra artist Tim Wetherell was commissioned by ANU to produce a sculpture from the ruins of the Mount Stromlo telescopes. The finished sculpture was named "The Astronomer" and installed in the Parliamentary Triangle, outside Questacon.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses
Following the 2003 bushfires, the ACT and New South Wales and Australian governments initiated community and official responses to the fire.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, Bushfire Recovery Taskforce
The Bushfire Recovery Taskforce was established to advise the ACT Government, provide leadership for the recovery, and act as a bridge between Government agencies and the community.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, McLeod Inquiry
The ACT Government established the McLeod Inquiry to examine and report on theoperational response to the bushfires. The Inquiry was headed by Ron McLeod, a former Commonwealth Ombudsman. The Inquiry handed down its findings on 1 August 2003.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, McLeod Inquiry
The Inquiry recommended there should be increased emphasis given to controlled burning as a fuel-reduction strategy, access to and training of emergency personnel in remote areas needed to be improved and a number of changes be made to the emergency services and the policies that govern their operations, including a greater emphasis on provision of information to the public.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, ACT Coroner's Bushfire Inquiry
The Coroner's inquiry commenced in January 2003, and hearing officially opened on 16 June 2003. The Coroner's Court of the Australian Capital Territory conducted an inquiry into the cause, origin, and circumstances of the 2003 bushfires and inquests into the four deaths associated with those fires. The inquiry was under the provisions of the ACT Coroners Act 1997.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, ACT Coroner's Bushfire Inquiry
The inquiry was marked by controversy, and in February 2005 the ACT Supreme Court heard an application that the coroner be disqualified due to bias. The inquiry into the fires was on hold until August 2005, when the Full Bench of the Supreme Court delivered its decision, declaring that Coroner Maria Doogan should not be disqualified on the ground of a reasonable apprehension of bias. The inquiry reconvened on 17 August 2005.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, ACT Coroner's Bushfire Inquiry
After over 90 days of examining the evidence, the inquiry wrapped up on 25 October 2005. Although the inquiry was supposed to be completed in early 2006, submissions continued into mid-2006, with the Coroner delivering her findings, "The Canberra Firestorm", in December 2006.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, House Select Committee on the recent Australian bushfires
On 26 March 2003 the House of Representatives established a Select Committee to inquire into the Australian bushfires at that time, including the Canberra bushfire. The committee tabled the report of its inquiry on 5 November 2003 and the Australian government presented its response to the report on 15 September 2005.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Official responses, Fire tornado
The first documented case of a fire tornado in Australia was during the 2003 Canberra bushfire. It was calculated to have horizontal winds of 250 km/h (160 mph) and vertical air speed of 150 km/h (93 mph), spawned by its own wind rotation from a pyrocumulonimbus cloud and causing the flashover of 120 hectares (300 acres) in 0.04 seconds. It was also the first known fire tornado to have EF3 wind speeds on the Enhanced Fujita scale and the only known one until the 2018 Carr Fire in California.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Bushfire memorial
On 18 January 2006, three years after the day of the bushfires, a bushfire memorial was opened on land which had been affected by the fires in Stromlo forest.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Bushfire memorial
The ACT Bushfire Memorial was commissioned by the ACT government to acknowledge the impact of the fires and thank the many organisations and individuals who played crucial roles in the fire fighting and recovery efforts.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Bushfire memorial
The memorial was designed by Canberra artists Tess Horwitz, Tony Steel and Martyn Jolly and incorporates elements requested by the ACT community. It is a journey from the day of the fire, through the process of recovery, to the honouring of memory.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Bushfire memorial
The entrance memorial walls are made from the community's salvaged bricks, which are inscribed with messages of grief and gratitude. Beyond the walls, a site framed by a grove of casuarinas contains red glass and metal forms, referring to the force of the firestorm and to the lightning strikes that sparked the main fires. An avenue leads to an amphitheatre enclosing a pond and bubbling spring. Glass columns bordering the pond contain details from photos provided by the community which speak of memory and human resilience.


2003 Canberra bushfires, Bushfire memorial
On 18 February 2006, an independent group of fire victims installed a plaque to honour the four people who died in the fires and the volunteer firefighters who fought so hard. The plaque is located at the end of the walkway to the memorial, immediately before the memorial walls. Fire victims and residents held a simple ceremony to mark the occasion.


2003 Cannes Film Festival
The 56th Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 25 May 2003. French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer Patrice Chéreau was the President of the Jury. The Palme d'Or went to the American film Elephant by Gus Van Sant based on the Columbine High School massacre.


2003 Cannes Film Festival
The festival opened with Fanfan la Tulipe, directed by Gérard Krawczyk and closed with Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin, directed by Richard Schickel. Monica Bellucci was the mistress of ceremonies.


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Juries, Main competition
The following people were appointed as the Jury for the feature films of the 2003 Official Selection:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Juries, Un Certain Regard
The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 2003 Un Certain Regard:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Juries, Cinéfondation and short films
The following people were appointed as the Jury of the Cinéfondation and short films competition:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Juries, Camera d'Or
The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 2003 Camera d'Or:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Official selection, Un Certain Regard
The following films were selected for the competition of Un Certain Regard:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Official selection, Films out of competition
The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Official selection, Cinéfondation
The following short films were selected for the competition of Cinéfondation:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Official selection, Short film competition
The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Parallel sections, International Critics' Week
The following films were screened for the 42nd International Critics' Week (42e Semaine de la Critique):


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Parallel sections, Directors' Fortnight
Apart from 16 short films, the following feature films were screened for the 2003 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):


2003 Cannes Film Festival, Awards, Official awards
The following films and people received the 2003 Official selection awards:


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup
The 2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup was a series of five races in 4 canoeing and kayaking categories organized by the International Canoe Federation (ICF). It was the 16th edition. The series consisted of 4 regular world cup races and the world cup final.


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup, Final standings
The winner of each world cup race was awarded 30 points. Semifinalists were guaranteed at least 5 points and paddlers eliminated in heats received 2 points each. The world cup final points scale was multiplied by a factor of 1.5. That meant the winner of the world cup final earned 45 points, semifinalists got at least 7.5 points and paddlers eliminated in heats received 3 points apiece. Only the best four results of each athlete counted for the final world cup standings.


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup, Results, World Cup Race 1
The first world cup race of the season took place at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium, Australia from 10 to 11 May.


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup, Results, World Cup Race 2
The second world cup race of the season took place at the Segre Olympic Park in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain from 5 to 6 July.


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup, Results, World Cup Race 3
The third world cup race of the season took place at the Tacen Whitewater Course, Slovenia from 12 to 13 July.


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup, Results, World Cup Race 4
The fourth world cup race of the season took place at the Čunovo Water Sports Centre, Slovakia from 30 to 31 July.


2003 Canoe Slalom World Cup, Results, World Cup Final
The Čunovo Water Sports Centre in Bratislava also hosted the final race of the season from 2 to 3 August.


2003 Cantabrian regional election
The 2003 Cantabrian regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Parliament of the autonomous community of Cantabria. All 39 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in 12 other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Cantabrian regional election
Both the People's Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) lost 1 seat each to the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC), which won 8 seats. As neither had won an absolute majority, the PRC reinforced its position as parliamentary kingmaker, able to give the government to either of the two parties. The PRC, in a coalition with the PP since 1995, announced that it was not renewing the pact a third time due to "deteriorating relations" between both parties after 8 years of government, and that it would instead seek an alliance with the PSOE.


2003 Cantabrian regional election
As a result of the election, PSOE and PRC reached a coalition agreement in which Miguel Ángel Revilla from the PRC was to be elected as regional President.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Parliament of Cantabria was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Cantabria, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Cantabrian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Autonomous Community. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Cantabria and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 39 members of the Parliament of Cantabria were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in Cantabria. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Parliament of Cantabria expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Parliament were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 25 May 2003.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Autonomous Community had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Cantabria and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year has elapsed since a previous dissolution.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Overview, Election date
In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.


2003 Cantabrian regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 20 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Cantabria.


2003 Canterbury City Council election
The 2003 Canterbury City Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of the Canterbury City Council in Kent, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. It was the first election to be held under new ward boundaries. The council remained under no overall control.


2003 Cape Verdean Football Championships
The 2003 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 24th of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. Its started on 17 May and finished on 2 August. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. No club participated in the 2004 CAF Champions League or the 2004 CAF Winner's Cup.


2003 Cape Verdean Football Championships
Sporting Clube da Praia was the defending team of the title. A total of 11 clubs participated in the competition, one from each island league.


2003 Cape Verdean Football Championships, Overview
The league was contested by 11 teams with Académico do Aeroporto winning the championship.


2003 Cape Verdean Football Championships, Overview
It was the first time that a total of 31 matches were played, 77 goals were scored


2003 Cape Verdean Football Championships, Overview
It would be the first time that two participants came from the island of Santiago and Santo Antão and they featured no single island championship match, they achieve two separate qualifications. Also it was the first participant of a club from Tarrafal, Amabox Barcelona and from Paul, Paulense. It was the only time that a participant of Fogo was outside the city of São Filipe, a club named Cutelinho.


2003 Capital One Bowl
The 2003 Capital One Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Auburn Tigers on January 1, 2003, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Auburn won the game 13–9; Auburn running back Ronnie Brown was the game's MVP, rushing for 184 yards and two touchdowns.


2003 Caribbean Series
The forty-fifth edition of the Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was held from February 2 through February 8 of 2003 at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It featured the champion baseball teams of the Dominican Republic, Águilas Cibaeñas; Mexico, Cañeros de Los Mochis, and Puerto Rico, Indios de Mayagüez. This time Venezuela did not participate in the tournament due to a national general strike, being replaced by the second place team from Puerto Rico, the Criollos de Caguas. The format consisted of 12 games, each team facing the other teams twice.


2003 Carlisle City Council election
The 2003 Carlisle City Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Carlisle District Council in Cumbria, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.


2003 Carlisle City Council election, Election result
Overall turnout at the election was 31.4%, slightly down from the 31.7% in 2002.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
The 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 16, 2003, before a crowd of 55,000, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway. The 293-lap race, the 100th NASCAR Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway, was won by PPI Motorsports driver Ricky Craven starting from the 31st position. Kurt Busch of the Roush Racing squad finished in second place and Dave Blaney third for the Jasper Motorsports team.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Elliott Sadler won the pole position by recording the fastest lap in qualifying. He and Ryan Newman traded the lead for the first two laps. Dale Earnhardt Jr. assumed the lead on lap 17 and went on to lead for 91 laps, more than any other driver. On lap 197, Jeff Gordon led at a rolling restart after a yellow caution flag, ahead of Sadler. Busch passed Gordon on the 269th lap but later had a power steering failure, allowing Craven to gradually lower his lead. By lap 291, Craven drew close enough to challenge Busch; after two attempts at a pass failed, he overtook Busch on the final lap, and won by two-thousandths of a second, tied for the closest finish in series history.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
It was Craven's second win of his career. The result advanced him from sixteenth to fifth in the Drivers' Championship, 143 points behind Matt Kenseth, whose eighth-place finished  maintained his championship lead over Tony Stewart. Ford maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, five points ahead of Chevrolet in second. Pontiac overtook Dodge for third with 31 races remaining in the season.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Background
The 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was the 5th of the 36 stock car races in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 16, 2003, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway,  an intermediate oval track which began hosting NASCAR races in the 1950 Grand National Series; and was the 100th Cup Series race held at the track. The track is a four-turn 1.366 mi (2.198 km) egg-shaped superspeedway. Its first two turns are banked at 25 degrees, while the final two turns are banked at 23 degrees. The frontstretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at three and two degrees, respectively.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Background
Before the race, Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 618 points, and Tony Stewart followed with 569 points. Michael Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson were third and fourth with 543 and 519 points respectively, ahead of Bobby Labonte in fifth with 510 points. Johnny Benson Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top ten. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford led with a total of 30 points, three points ahead of Chevrolet in second position. Dodge, with 16 points, were one point ahead of Pontiac in third position. Sterling Marlin was the race's defending champion.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Background
Darlington Raceway had a highly abrasive track surface, which was heavily used and altered the complex of racing there. Drivers were required to strenuously monitor their tire degradation, and track position was the most important aspect due to the difficulty of on-circuit overtaking. Gordon, who arrived as a favourite to win at Darlington Raceway due to his record six Cup Series victories there, expressed a desire to continue his good form at the track: "We didn't win in Atlanta, but we led laps and battled hard for the win. That was our first good finish of the season – even though we've run well at each event – and I think that will give us some momentum this weekend."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday morning and two on Saturday morning. The first session lasted 120 minutes, and the second and third sessions 45 minutes. In the first practice session, which was held in cool and overcast weather, Elliott Sadler was fastest with a lap of 29.125 seconds. He was followed by Labonte, Ryan Newman, Gordon, Kurt Busch, Kenny Wallace, Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Dave Blaney.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Practice and qualifying
A total of 43 drivers attempted to qualify on Friday afternoon; the maximum number allowed to race under NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Each driver ran two timed laps to determine pole position to 36th. The remainder of the field qualified through the use of provisionals; six were given to teams based on their 2002 Owners Championship placing and the seventh was reserved for a former champion who did not qualify for the event or the next squad in the Owners' standings.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Practice and qualifying
In his 146th race start, Sadler was the 16th driver on the track, and took the first pole position of his career with a lap of 28.902 seconds. He was joined on the grid's front row by Newman, who stated he could have bettered Sadler's lap had he not ran wide in turns one and two. Jerry Nadeau qualified third, Jimmy Spencer fourth, and Gordon fifth. Busch had the pole position until Sadler's lap, and subsequent improvements from other competitors later in the session demoted him to sixth. Ward Burton took seventh in the final minutes of qualifying.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Practice and qualifying
Marlin, eighth, altered the setup of his car to increase its handling stability. Waltrip and Todd Bodine were ninth and tenth. 37th to 43rd placed-qualifiers Jeff Burton, Joe Nemechek, Ricky Rudd, Kyle Petty, Tony Raines, Larry Foyt, and Brett Bodine used provisionals to enter the race. After qualifying Sadler said, "To get one this early and get it off our shoulders, you don't understand how big a relief this is and the weight that's been taken off my shoulders."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Practice and qualifying
On Saturday morning Nadeau was quickest in the second practice session at 29.496 seconds, ahead of Johnson, Bill Elliott, Stewart, Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Nemechek, Martin, Harvick, and Gordon. During the session, Busch's engine failed on a slow lap; his team changed engines, which limited his on-track familiarisation. Kenseth's car emitted smoke due to an unsecured oil line, which his mechanics repaired. Later that day, Kenseth led the final practice session with a lap of 29.379 seconds; Johnson duplicated his second-practice result in second and Gordon improved from tenth to third. Nemechek, Jeff Green, Newman, Marlin, Kenny Wallace, Martin and Stewart made up positions four to ten. Towards the conclusion of the session, the right side of Waltrip's vehicle struck an outside barrier at turn two due to a cut tire, and he switched to a back-up car.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Live television coverage of the 293-lap 400.238 mi (644.121 km) race in the United States on Fox began at 12:30 Eastern Time (UTC−05:00). Play-by-play commentary was provided by Mike Joy, with analysis from three-time Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip and former crew chief Larry McReynolds. Around the start of the race, the weather was cool and overcast, with the air temperature 63 °F (17 °C), and a maximum wind speed of 11.1 mph (17.9 km/h). Harold King, a board member of Darlington Raceway, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Ann Benson, president of music at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina, performed the national anthem, and Mark Sanford, the Governor of South Carolina, commanded the drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, Busch and Waltrip moved to the rear of the field because of their engine change and switch to a back-up car. Grip was difficult to locate and any advantage that drivers gained was minimal.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Newman passed Sadler for the lead in the first turn, which he held until Sadler retook it on the approach to the same corner at the beginning of lap two. On the third lap, Nadeau overtook Newman for second. Three laps later, Nadeau lost control of his car heading into the first corner, and spun 360 degrees. He avoided contact with a trackside wall and another car. Drivers behind him drove onto the apron to avoid a collision; Jamie McMurray made contact with Kenseth, causing the latter to spin, and bringing out the first yellow caution flag.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Some drivers who had tight-handling cars elected to make pit stops for tires during the caution. Sadler maintained the lead at the lap 10 restart, followed by Gordon. Four laps later, Jack Sprague spun 360 degrees on the exit of turn four, prompting the second caution. Under caution, those drivers who remained on the track during the first caution, including Sadler, made pit stops.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Spencer did not make a pit stop and led at the restart on lap 17, followed by Earnhardt, Nadeau, John Andretti, and Green. On the following lap, Earnhardt's new tires helped him pass Spencer for the lead going into the third turn. Lap 23 saw the third caution: Johnson made contact with Marlin, cutting the latter's tire and disabling his steering. Marlin veered into an outside barrier on the backstretch. This caused a chain-reaction accident involving Labonte, Sprague, Todd Bodine, Harvick, Robby Gordon, and Raines.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Harvick, Robby Gordon and Raines continued driving with aerodynamic deficiencies to their cars as Sprague, Todd Bodine, and Labonte sustained damage to their cars and were effectively eliminated from contention. Every driver, except for Jarrett and Jeff Gordon, made pit stops during the caution. Jarrett led the field at the lap 29 restart. On the 32nd lap, Earnhardt overtook Gordon and then Jarrett to return to the lead. The fourth caution was necessitated on lap 33 when Jeff Burton in ninth position had an engine failure, which obscured Stewart's vision and caused him to ram into Burton's car. Jarrett and Jeff Gordon made pit stops for tires under caution.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Earnhardt remained the leader at the restart on lap 40, followed by Nadeau and Spencer. Two laps later, Stewart struck a trackside barrier; he continued without major damage to his car. Earnhardt led Nadeau by five seconds by the 50th lap, while Martin and his Roush Racing teammate Busch had advanced to third and fourth places. On lap 68, the fifth caution came out as Newman and Ward Burton raced each other in turn two; Burton drifted into the side of Newman's car and both cars spun without hitting a barrier. Track officials used dry blowers to remove debris.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Some drivers made pit stops for tires during the caution. Earnhardt retained the lead from Martin and Nadeau at the restart on lap 75. Twelve laps later a fractured oil casing forced Nadeau to enter pit road, and drop out of contention for a strong result. Earnhardt established a lengthy advantage over Martin until slower traffic impeded him and allowed Martin to execute a pass for the first position on the 117th lap.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Green flag pit stops commenced on lap 121. Busch attempted to enter pit road eight laps later; he missed the entrance and completed one extra lap. On the same lap, Gordon passed Earnhardt for second place. Martin made his pit stop on the 132nd lap. He relinquished the lead to Gordon for a single lap. After the pit stops Martin regained the lead, with Gordon four seconds behind in second, and Kenseth third. By lap 169, Sadler had overtaken Kenseth and Gordon to advance to second position. The second round of green flag pit stops commenced on lap 185.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Drivers who made pit stops hoping to advance their positions did not succeed, however, because a sixth caution was waved on lap 191. The right front corner of Spencer's vehicle came into contact with Andretti's left-rear wheel, causing the latter to sustain a flat tire. Andretti veered towards an inside barrier on the frontstretch and sustained damage to his car. Andretti was uninjured.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Some drivers, including Martin, made pit stops during the caution. Gordon led the field at the lap 197 restart. Martin made a brisk getaway to overtake Sadler and reclaim second position. Just as pit stop strategy was about affect the final result, officials noticed debris between the third and fourth turns and waved the seventh caution flag on lap 237. Several teams called their drivers into pit road for their final scheduled pit stops. Gordon exited pit road in first place, as a mechanic for Martin's car dropped a left front lug nut, which required Martin to stop again.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
He fell to eleventh position. The race restarted on the 242nd lap, with Gordon ahead of Sadler, Busch, Craven, and Blaney. Busch, whose power steering began to cut out from lap 243, passed Sadler for second place shortly after, and he began to duel Gordon for the lead. Sadler subsequently got involved, as Craven and Blaney used the battle to draw closer to them.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
On lap 269, Gordon grazed the wall at turn two, which allowed Sadler to challenge him; his momentum was disrupted as he and Gordon went onto the backstretch. Busch drew alongside the pair, and steered to the bottom lane in turn three to take the lead. Gordon and Sadler struck a trackside wall on lap 273, allowing Craven to pass the duo and move into second five laps later. Sadler and Gordon then slowed with damage to their vehicles' toes.