ment 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]; Walwa