single-member majoritarian system to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate--last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held
September 2001); National Assembly--last held 25 May-1 June 1997
(next to be held NA May 2002)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--RPR 99, Centrist Union 52, Republicans and independents 47, PS
78, PCF 16, other 29; National Assembly--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--PS 245, RPR 140, UDF 109, PCF 37, PRS 13, Ecologists
8, MDC 7, LDI-MPF 1, FN 1, various left 9, various right 7

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
members 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: Rally for the Republic or RPR

Political pressure groups and leaders: Communist-controlled labor
union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million
members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation
Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, about 800,000 members
(est.); independent labor union or Force Ouvriere, 1 million members
(est.); independent white-collar union or Confederation Generale des
Cadres, 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French
Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais) or CNPF or Patronat

International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU,
FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURCA, MINURSO, MIPONUH,
MONUA, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Francois V. BUJON DE L'ESTANG
chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,