Jacques CHIRAC of
France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA)

head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE
(since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred
MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998)

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

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General
(45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and a unicameral Regional Assembly or Conseil Regional (41
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be
held NA 2006); Regional Assembly - last held on 15 March 1998 (next
to be held by March 2004)

election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR-UDF
14, MIM 13, PPM 7, left parties 4, PMS 3

note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections
last held NA September 1998 (next to be held September 2001);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPM 2;
Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly;
elections last held 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1,
independent 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders: Martinique Independence Movement or
MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM
[Camille DARSIERES]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest
WAN-AJOUHU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Union
for French Democracy or UDF (replaced by Martinique Forces of
Progress) [Jean MAREN]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Association for the
Protection of Martinique's Heritage (ecologist) [Garcin MALSA];
Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for
Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle;
League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP;
Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]

International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic repr