Independence: none (overseas department of France)
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 Dominique VIAN (since NA January 1997) head of government: President of the General Council Stephan PHINERA (since NA March 1994); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since NA March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: representative of the French Government appointed by the president of France on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils, who vote on party lines
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council-last held 20-27 March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council-last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held NA 1998) election results: General Council-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PSG 8, FDG 4, RPR 1, other left 2, other right 2, other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PSG 16, FDG 10, RPR 2, independents 3 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 24 September 1989 (next to be held NA September 1998); results-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-RDSE 1; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-RPR 1, PSG 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Political parties and leaders: Guianese Socialist Party or PSG [Leone
MICHOTTE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean BART] (may be a subset of PSG);
Nationalist Popular Party of Guyana (Parti Nationaliste Populaire
Guiana) or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Union of Social Democrats (Union des
Socialistes Democates) or USD [Leon BERTRAND] (umbrella group of RPR
and UDF); Rally for the Republic or RPR [Leon BERTRAND]; Union for
French Democracy or UDF [R. CHOW-CHINE]; Guyana Democratic Forces or
FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON];
Action Democrate Guiana or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Democratic and
European Rally of the Senate or RDSE
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU