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

GP

overseas department of France

NA

Basse-Terre

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 Jean FEDINI (since NA 1996)
head of government: President of the General Council Marcellin LUBETH
(since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Lucette
MICHAUX-CHEVRY (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; the presidents of the General and
Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
election results: NA

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 1998 (next to be held
by NA 2004); 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 - diverse left parties 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, diverse
right parties 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of vote by
party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG 5.29%,
diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25, PS/PPDG/diverse
left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 2
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA 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 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FGPS 2, RPR 1,
PPDG 1

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction
over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique

Christian Movement for the Liberation
of Guadeloupe or KLPG; Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Christian
CELESTE]; diverse left parties ; diverse right parties
; FGPS Dissidents or FRUI.G ; Movement
for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI ; Popular Union
for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or UPLG ;
Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG ; Rally for the
Republic or RPR ; Socialist Party or PS ;
Union for French Democracy or UDF

Christian Movement for the
Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe
Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG;
Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI

FZ, WCL, WFTU

none (overseas department of
France)

none (overseas department of
France)

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 gold five-pointed
star is centered in the red band toward the hoist side; the flag of
France is used for official occasions