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

FG

overseas department of France

NA

Cayenne

none (overseas department of France)

none (overseas department of France)

National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

French legal system

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since NA January 1997)
head of government: President of the General Council Andre LECANTE
(since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM
(since 22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional
Councils are appointed by the members of those councils

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 15 March 1998 (next to be
held NA 2004)
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 - PS 28.28%,
various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari
Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6,
independents 3, Walwari Committee 2
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998
(next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NA; 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

Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court
based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and
French Guiana)

Action Democrate Guiana or ADG [Andre
LECANTE]; Democratic and European Rally of the Senate or RDSE [leader
NA]; Guianese Socialist Party or PSG ; Guyana
Democratic Forces or FDG ; Nationalist Popular Party
of Guyana (Parti Nationaliste Populaire Guiana) or PNPG ;
Rally for the Republic or RPR ; Socialist Party or
PS  (may be a subset of PSG); Union for French
Democracy or UDF ; Union of Social Democrats (Union des
Socialistes Democates) or USD  (umbrella group of
RPR and UDF); Walwari Committee

FZ, WCL, WFTU

none (overseas department of
France)

none (overseas department of
France)

the flag of France is used