Country name
conventional long form : Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe

Data code GP

Dependency status overseas department of France

Government type NA

National capital Basse-Terre

Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France)

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), representedby Prefect Michel DIEFENBACHER (since NA March 1995)
head of government: President of the General Council Dominique LARIFLA (since NA); Presidentof 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 FrenchMinistry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councilsare elected by the members of those councils
election results: NA

Legislative branch unicameral General Council or Conseil General (43 seats; members areelected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral RegionalCouncil or Conseil Regional(41 seats; members are elected by popular voteto serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held by NA 1996);Regional Council - last held 31 January 1994 (next to be held 16 March 1998)
election results : General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FRUI.G13, RPR/DUD 13, PPDG 8, FGPS 3, PCG 3, UPLG 1, PSG 1, independent 1; RegionalCouncil - percent of vote by party - RPR/FGPS-dissidents 48.30%, FGPS 17.09%,FRUI.G 7.44%, PPDG 8.90%, UPLG 7.75% PCG 6.05%; seats by party - RPR/FGPS-dissidents22, FGPS/FRUI.G 9, PPDG 5, PCG 3, UPLG 2
note : Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; electionslast held in September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent ofvote by party - NA; seats by party - PPDG 1, FGPS 1; Guadeloupe elects fourrepresentatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 21and 28 March 1993 (next to be held 25 May-1 June 1997 - special election);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, FrenchGuiana, and Martinique

Political parties and leaders Rally for the Republic or RPR [Daniel BEAUBRUN]; Communist Party ofGuadeloupe or PCG [Christian Medard CELESTE]; Socialist Party or FGPS [GeorgesLOUISOR]; Popular Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or UPLG [Claude MAKOUKE];FGPS Dissidents or FRUI.G [Dominique LARIFLA]; Union for French Democracyor UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; General Union of GuadeloupeWorkers or UGTG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; ChristianMovement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG

International organization participation FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France)

Flag description three horizontal bands, a narrow green band (top), a wide red band,and a narrow green band; the green bands are separated from the red band bytwo narrow white stripes; a five-pointed gold star is centered in the redband toward the hoist side; the flag of France is used for official occasions

NOTE: The information regarding Guadeloupe on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guadeloupe Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Guadeloupe Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.