National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May
1995); Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA) was appointed by the
French Ministry of the Interior
head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE
(since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Emile
CAPGRAS (since 22 March 1992);
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral
Regional Assembly
General Council: elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held
NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (44 total)
number of seats by party NA; note - the PPM won a plurality
Regional Assembly: elections last held on 22 March 1992 (next to be
held by March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(41 total) RPR-UDF 16, MIM 9, PPM 9, PCM 5, independents 2
French Senate: elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be
held September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(2 total) UDF 1, PPM 1
French National Assembly: elections last held 21 March 1993 (next to
be held NA June 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats
- (4 total) RPR 2, UDF 1, PPM 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR), Alex
URSULET; Union for a Martinique of Progress (UMP); Martinique
Progressive Party (PPM), Aime CESAIRE; Socialist Federation of
Martinique (FSM), Jean CRUSOL; Martinique Communist Party (PCM),
George ERICHOT; Martinique Patriots (PM); Union for French Democracy
(UDF), Miguel LAVENTURE; Martinique Independence Movement (MIM),
Alfred MARIE-JEANNE; Republican Party (PR), Jean BAILLY
Other political or pressure groups: Proletarian Action Group (GAP); Alhed Marie-Jeanne Socialist Revolution Group (GRS); Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance (ARC); Central Union for Martinique Workers (CSTM), Marc PULVAR; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Parti Martiniquais Socialiste (PMS); Association for the Protection of Martinique's Heritage (ecologist)
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU