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); represented by Prefect Pierre DARTOUT who was appointed by
the French Ministry of Interior
head of government: President of the General Council Stephan
PHINERA-HORTH (since March 1994)
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral
Regional Council
General Council: elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held
NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (19 total) PSG
8, RPR 2, UDF 1, other right 1, other 7
Regional Council: elections last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held
NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (31 total) PSG
16, FDG 10, RPR 2, independents 3
French Senate: elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be
held September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(1 total) PSG 1
French National Assembly: elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993
(next to be held NA 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (2 total) RPR 1, independent 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeals (highest local court based in
Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French
Guiana)
Political parties and leaders: Guianese Socialist Party (PSG),
Raymond TRACY; Conservative Union for the Republic (UPR), Leon
BERTRAND; Rally for the Center Right (URC); Rally for the Republic
(RPR); Guyana Democratic Front (FDG), Georges OTHILY; Walwari
Committee, Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON; Socialist Party (PS), Jean
BART; Union for French Democracy (UDF), R. CHOW-CHINE
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in US: none (overseas department of
France)