Government and Politics of French Guiana

Government Type

NA

Administrative Divisions

none (overseas department of France)

Legal System

French legal system

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON of France (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Thierry QUEFFELEC (since 2022) head of government: President of the Departmental Council Gabriel SERVILLE (since April 2021); President of the Regional Council Gabriel SERVILLE (since April 2021), who holds both roles following the merger of the two councils under French Guiana's unique institutional status as a single territorial collectivity cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the president of the Territorial Collectivity Assembly is elected by the members of that assembly. Note: since 2015, French Guiana has operated as a single territorial collectivity, replacing the former separate General Council and Regional Council with a unified Territorial Assembly.

Legislative Branch

French Guiana does not have a traditional bicameral or unicameral legislature in the conventional sense, as it is an overseas region and department of France. Following a significant institutional reform, the former separate General Council (Conseil Général) and Regional Council (Conseil Régional) were merged into a single body, the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana or Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG), which came into effect after the December 2015 elections. This unified assembly has 51 seats, with members elected by popular vote using a two-round proportional representation system to serve six-year terms. Elections: Territorial Assembly - last held on 20 and 27 June 2021; next to be held in 2027. Election results: percent of vote by party - Guyane en Marche (affiliated with La République En Marche) and allied lists received the largest share; seats by party - Guyane en Marche/PSG-led coalition approximately 23 seats, Matinik pou tout Moun/left coalition and other groupings sharing remaining seats. Gabriel Serville serves as President of the Territorial Collectivity. Note: French Guiana sends representatives to the French Parliament in Paris. Two deputies represent French Guiana in the French National Assembly, elected in the June 2022 legislative elections. French Guiana is also represented by two senators in the French Senate, with the most recent senatorial elections held in September 2023.

Judicial Branch

Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)

Political Parties

Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Alix LABBE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Georges HABRAN-MERY]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Remi Louis DUBOC]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]

Head of State

President Emmanuel MACRON of France, represented by Prefect Thierry QUEFFELEC

Head of Government

President of the Departmental Council Gabriel SERVILLE (since April 2021)

Cabinet

Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers

Elections

Territorial Assembly - last held on 20 and 27 June 2021; next to be held in 2027. Election results: percent of vote by party - Guyane en Marche (affiliated with La République En Marche) and allied lists received the largest share; seats by party - Guyane en Marche/PSG-led coalition approximately 23 seats, Matinik pou tout Moun/left coalition and other groupings sharing remaining seats. Gabriel Serville serves as President of the Territorial Collectivity. Note: French Guiana sends representatives to the French Parliament in Paris. Two deputies represent French Guiana in the French National Assembly, elected in the June 2022 legislative elections. French Guiana is also represented by two senators in the French Senate, with the most recent senatorial elections held in September 2023.

Election Results

As an overseas department and region of France, French Guiana participates in French national elections rather than holding entirely independent national votes. Residents elect representatives to the French National Assembly and the French Senate, and they vote in French presidential elections. French Guiana sends two deputies to the National Assembly and two senators to the Senate in Paris. In the 2022 French legislative elections, the two National Assembly seats representing French Guiana were won by candidates affiliated with left-leaning and local political movements. Gabriel Serville, a prominent local politician and president of the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana, has been a significant figure in regional politics, representing the interests of the territory in Paris. At the territorial level, French Guiana holds elections for its Territorial Collectivity, a unique administrative body created in 2015 that merged the functions of the former Regional Council and General Council into a single governing assembly. This assembly consists of 51 elected members. In the December 2021 territorial elections, the list led by Gabriel Serville and his party, the Pou la Guyane coalition, secured a strong majority, winning approximately 48 percent of the vote in the second round and taking control of the assembly. This victory reflected widespread local desire for greater autonomy and more responsive governance of the territory's significant challenges, including immigration pressures, economic underdevelopment, and demands for better public services. French Guiana also participates in European Parliament elections as part of France's broader electoral participation in the European Union. Voter turnout in French Guiana tends to be lower than metropolitan France averages, often reflecting a degree of political disengagement or dissatisfaction with the territory's relationship with the central French government. Political tensions, including significant strikes and civil unrest in 2017 over demands for greater investment and autonomy, have shaped the electoral landscape and influenced the platforms of local candidates in subsequent elections.

Constitution

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Independence

none (overseas department of France)

National Holiday

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

International Organization Participation

WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

none (overseas department of France)

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

none (overseas department of France)

Capital City

Cayenne

U.S. Embassy Paramaribo Drs. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo, Suriname Telephone: (597)-472-900 Emergency after-hours telephone: (597)-0710-1112 Facsimile: (597)-425-788 U.S. Embassy/Consular Section in Paris 4 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris (Place de La Concorde, metro stop Concorde) Telephone: (43)-12-22-22 Emergency after-hours telephone: (42)-61-61-40