Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
head of government: High Commissioner and President of the Council of
Government Didier CULTIAUX (since NA July 1994; appointed by the
French Ministry of the Interior); President of the Territorial
Congress Simon LOUECKHOTE (since 26 June 1989)
cabinet: Consultative Committee
Legislative branch: unicameral
Territorial Assembly: elections last held 11 June 1989 (next to be
held July 1995); results - 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: elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held
September 2001); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1
total) RPCR 1
French National Assembly: elections last held 21 March 1993 (next to
be held 21 and 28 March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (2 total) RPCR 2
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: white-dominated Rassemblement pour la
Caledonie dans la Republique (RPCR), conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR,
president - affiliated to France's Rassemblement pour la Republique
(RPR; also called South Province Party); Melanesian proindependence
Kanaka 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, Clarence UREGEI; Union Caledonian (UC), Francois
BURCK, president; "1999" (new party calling for an autonomous state),
Philippe PENTECOST
Member of: ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WFTU, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: none (overseas territory of France)
US diplomatic representation: none (overseas territory of France)
Flag: the flag of France is used
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