National Assembly majority
and appointed by the president election results: Jacques CHIRAC reelected
president; percent of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 81.96%,
Jean-Marie LE PEN (FN) 18.04% cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed
by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of
the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for
overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad;
members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year
terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under
a single-member majoritarian system to serve five-year terms) election
results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR
83, PS 68, UDC 37, DL 35, RDES 16, PCF 16, other 66; National Assembly -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 245, RPR 140, UDF 109,
PCF 37, PRS 13, MEI 8, MDC 7, LDI-MPF 1, FN 1, various left 9, various
right 7 elections: National Assembly - last held 25 May-1 June 1997
(next to be held, first round 9 June 2002; second round 16 June 2002)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges
are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of
the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three
members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president
of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the
Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat

Political parties and leaders: Citizens Movement or MdC [Jean Pierre
CHEVENEMENT]; Communist, Republican, and Citizen or CRC (mainly PCF)
[leader NA]; Democratic and European Social Rally or RDES (mainly
RAD and PRG) [leader NA]; French Communist Party or PCF [Robert HUE];
Generation Ecology [Brice LALONDE]; Independent Ecological Movement
or MEI [Antoine WAECHTER]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously
Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG)
[Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Liberal-Christian Right [Charles MILLON]; Liberal
Democracy or DL (originally Republican Party or PR) [Alain MADELIN];
Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; Movement of Reformers
[Jean-Pierre SOISSON]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; National
Republican Movement [Bruno MEGRET]; Popular Party for French De