Country name
conventional long form: Department of Guiana
conventional short form: French Guiana
local long form: none
local short form: Guyane

Data code FG

Dependency status overseas department of France

Government type NA

National capital Cayenne

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 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

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

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

Flag description the flag of France is used

NOTE: The information regarding French Guiana 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 French Guiana Government 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about French Guiana Government 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.