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), 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

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 by two narrow white stripes; a five-pointed gold star is centered in the red band 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 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guadeloupe Government 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Guadeloupe Government 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.