Legal system: the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands; formerly under French law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May
1995) represented by High Commissioner and President of the Council
of Government Dominque BUR (since NA), who was appointed by the
French Ministry of the Interior
head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Pierre
FROGIER (since NA) was elected by the members of the Assembly
cabinet: Consultative Committee
Legislative branch: unicameral
Territorial Assembly: elections last held 9 July 1995 (next to be
held NA July 2001); results - percent by party NA; seats - (54
total) RPCR 22, NCPT 7, other anti-independence parties 6, FLNKS 12,
other pro-independence parties 7
French Senate: elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be
held NA 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),
Rock WAMYTAN; 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; Nouvelle-Caledonie Pour Toute
(NCPT)
International organization participation: 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: three horizontal bands, blue (top), red, and green, with a yellow disk enclosing a black symbol centered to the hoist side; the flag of France is used for official occasions