:Reunion Government
Long-form name:
Department of Reunion
Type:
overseas department of France
Capital:
Saint-Denis
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas department of France)
Independence:
none (overseas department of France)
Constitution:
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
French law
National holiday:
Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Executive branch:
French president, commissioner of the Republic
Legislative branch:
General Council, Regional Council
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeals (Cour d'Appel)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
Head of Government:
Commissioner of the Republic Jacques DEWATRE (since July 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Rally for the Republic (RPR), Francois MAS; Union for French Democracy
(UDF), Gilbert GERARD; Communist Party of Reunion (PCR), Paul VERGES;
France-Reunion Future (FRA), Andre THIEN AH KOON; Socialist Party (PS),
Jean-Claude FRUTEAU; Social Democrats (CDS); other small parties
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
General Council:
last held September/October 1988 (next to be held NA 1994); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (44 total) PCR 9, PS 4, UDF 6, other
left-wing 2, RPR 4, right-wing 19
Regional Council:
last held 16 March 1986 (next to be held NA March 1992); results - RPR/UDF
36.8%, PCR 28.2%, FRA and other right wing 17.3%, PS 14.1%, other 3.6%;
seats - (45 total) RPR/UDF 18, PCR 13, FRA and other right wing 8, PS 6
French Senate:
last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held NA September 1992); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (3 total) RPR-UDF 1, PS 1, independent
1
French National Assembly:
last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held NA June 1993); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (5 total) PCR 2, RPR 1, UDF-CDS 1, FRA
1; note - Reunion elects 3 members to the French Senate and 5 members to the
French National Assembly who are voting members
Communists:
Communist party small but has support among sugarcane cutters, the minuscule
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Reunion (MPLR), and in the district
of Le Port
Member of:
FZ, WFTU
:Reunion Government
Diplomatic representation:
as an overseas department of France, Reunionese interests are represented in
the US by France
Flag:
the flag of France is used
:Reunion Economy
Overview:
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been
the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for
85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist
industry to relieve high unemployment, which recently amounted to one-third
of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is
extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and
Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the
population, often approaching European standards, whereas indigenous groups
suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the
African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991
illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic
well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from
France.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $3.37 billion, per capita $6,000 (1987 est.);
real growth rate 9% (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (1988)
Unemployment rate:
35% (February 1991)
Budget:
revenues $358 million; expenditures $914 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1986)
Exports:
$166 million (f.o.b., 1988)
commodities:
sugar 75%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 4%, lobster 3%, vanilla and
tea 1%
partners:
France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
Imports:
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
commodities:
manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation
equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
partners:
France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%; about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
245,000 kW capacity; 546 million kWh produced, 965 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries:
sugar, rum, cigarettes, several small shops producing handicraft items
Agriculture:
accounts for 30% of labor force; dominant sector of economy; cash crops -
sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco; food crops - tropical fruits, vegetables, corn;
imports large share of food needs
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$14.8 billion
Currency:
French franc (plural - francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.6397 (March 1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453
(1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987)
:Reunion Economy
Fiscal year: calendar year
:Reunion Communications
Highways:
2,800 km total; 2,200 km paved, 600 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized
earth
Ports:
Pointe des Galets
Civil air:
3 major transport aircraft
Airports:
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
3,659 m; 1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
adequate system; modern open-wire and microwave network; principal center
Saint-Denis; radiocommunication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new
microwave route to Mauritius; 85,900 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM,
13 FM, 1 (18 repeaters) TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station