seas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte,
Saint Pierre and Miquelon)

_#_Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands,
Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna;
note--the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

_#_Independence: unified by Clovis in 486, First Republic proclaimed
in 1792

_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of
president in 1962

_#_Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts

_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
(cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an
upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly
(Assemblee Nationale)

_#_Judicial branch: Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May
1981);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Edith CRESSON (since 15 May
1991)

_#_Political parties and leaders:
Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques CHIRAC;
Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and RAD),
Valery Giscard d'ESTAING;
Republican Party (PR), Gerard LONGUET;
Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre MEHAIGNERIE;
Radical (RAD), Yves GALLARD;
Socialist Party (PS), Pierre MAUROY;
Left Radical Movement (MRG), Yves COLLIN;
Communist Party (PCF), Georges MARCHAIS;
National Front (FN), Jean-Marie LE PEN

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995);
results--Second Ballot Francois MITTERRAND 54%, Jacques CHIRAC 46%;

Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September
1992); results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(321 total; 296 metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments
and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad) RPR 93,
UDF 143 (PR 53, CDS 65, RAD 25), PS 64, PCF 16, independents 2,
unknown 3;

National Assembly--last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held
June 1993);
results--Second Ballot PS-MRG 48.7%, RPR 23.1%, UDF 21%, PCF 3.4%,
other 3.8%;
seats--(577 total) PS 275, RPR 132, UDF 90, UDC 40, PCF 25, independents
15

_#_Commu