nment type: NA

Capital: Fort-de-France

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French legal system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President 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 1994 (next to be held
NA 2000); 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: Combat Worker ;
Martinique Communist Party or PCM ; Martinique Forces
; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred
MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Patriots or PM ; Martinique
Progressive Party or PPM ; Martinique Socialist
Party or PMS ; Movement for a Liberated Martinique
; National Council of Popular Committees ;
Rally for Democratic Martinique ; Rally for the
Republic o