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 Jean FEDINI (since NA) head of government: President of the General Council Dominique LARIFLA (since NA); President of the Regional Council Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: prefect appointed by the president of France on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils election results: NA
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council-last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held by NA 1996); Regional Council-last held 16 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-FRUI.G 13, RPR/DUD 13, PPDG 8, FGPS 3, PCG 3, UPLG 1, PSG 1, independent 1; Regional Council-percent of vote by party-RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/DVG 24.49%, PCG 5.29%, DVD 5.73%; seats by party-RPR 25, PS/PPDG/DVG 12, PCG 2, DVD 2 note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held in September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-RPR 1, FGPS 1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-FGPS 2, RPR 1, PCG 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR [Lucette
MICHAUX-CHEVRY]; Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE];
Socialist Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Popular Union for the
Liberation of Guadeloupe or UPLG [Claude MAKOUKE]; FGPS Dissidents or
FRUI.G [Dominique LARIFLA]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel
ESDRAS]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Movement
for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI [Luc REIETTE]; Christian
Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; DVG [Jacques
GILLOT]; DVD [Simon IBO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Movement for Independent
Guadeloupe or MPGI; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG;
General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; Christian Movement
for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG
International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU