Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Bernard GRASSET (since 15 July 1988)
_#_Political parties:
white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique
(RPCR), conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR—affiliated to France's
Rassemblement pour la Republique (RPR);
Melanesian proindependence Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front
(FLNKS), Paul NEAOUTYINE;
Melanesian moderate Kanak Socialist Liberation (LKS), Nidoish
NAISSELINE;
National Front (FN), extreme right, Guy GEORGE;
Caledonie Demain (CD), right-wing, Bernard MARANT;
Union Oceanienne (UO), conservative, Michel HEMA;
Front Uni de Liberation Kanak (FULK), proindependence, Yann
CELENE
_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age 18
_#_Elections:
Territorial Assembly—last held 11 June 1989 (next to be held NA 1993); results—percent of vote by party—RPCR 44.5%, FLNKS 28.5%, FN 7%, CD 5%, UO 4%, other 11%; seats—(54 total) RPCR 27, FLNKS 19, FN 3, other 5; note—election boycotted by FULK;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) RPCR 1;
French National Assembly—last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party—RPR 83.5%, FN 13.5%, other 3%; seats—(2 total) RPCR 2
_#_Communists: number unknown; Palita extreme left party; some politically active Communists deported during 1950s; small number of North Vietnamese
_#_Member of: FZ, SPC, WFTU, WMO