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Executive branch
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Head of government
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President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004)
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Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004)
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Flag description
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unofficial, local flag based upon the arms of the city of Pointe-a-Pitre; the field is divided horizontally with a narrow, blue stripe along the top edge charged with three gold fleurs-de-lis; the wider, lower portion of the field is black and charged with green sugar cane leaves - representing one of Guadeloupe's main crops - surmounted by a gold radiant sun representing the tropical climate; the only official flag is the national flag of France
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three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation
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Judicial branch
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Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
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Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")
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Legal system
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French legal system
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common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts
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Legislative branch
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unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
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bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha
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Legislative branch
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Election results
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General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12
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People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - INC 206, BJP 116, SP 23, BSP 21, JD(U) 20, TMC 19, DMK 18, CPI(M) 16, BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, TDP 6, RLD 5, CPI 4, RJD 4, SAD 4, independent 9, other 29, vacant 2(as of February 2013) - INC 204, BJP 115, SP 22, BSP 21, JD(U) 20, AITC 19, DMK 18, CPI(M) 16, BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, TDP 6, RLD 5, CPI 4, RJD 4, SAD 4, independents 9, other 31, nominated (INC) 2, vacant 2
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Legislative branch
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Elections
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General Council - last held March 2004 (next to be held by in 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008 to elect half of the body)
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People's Assembly - last held in five phases on 16, 22-23, 30 April and 7, 13 May 2009 (next must be held by May 2014)
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National holiday
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Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
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Republic Day, 26 January
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Political parties and leaders
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Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Jules OTTO]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Claudine LACAVE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR) [Gabrielle LOUIS-CARABIN]
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Aam Aadmi Party or AAP [Arvind KEJRIWAL]<br />All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [J. JAYALALITHAA]<br />All India Trinamool Congress or TMC [Mamata BANERJEE]<br />Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]<br />Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Rajnath SINGH]<br />Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]<br />Communist Party of India or CPI [A.B. BARDHAN]<br />Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI(M) [Prakash KARAT]<br />Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK [M.KARUNANIDHI]<br />Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI]<br />Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]<br />Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]<br />Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Lalu Prasad YADAV]<br />Rashtriya Lok Dal or RLD [Ajit SINGH]<br />Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]<br />Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]<br />Shiv Sena or SS [Uddhav THACKERAY]<br />Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]<br />
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Political pressure groups and leaders
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Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement
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All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist group)<br />Bajrang Dal (religious organization)<br />India Against Corruption [Anna HAZAREI]<br />Jamiat Ulema-e Hind (religious organization)<br />Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [Mohan BHAGWAT] (religious organization)<br />Vishwa Hindu Parishad [Ashok SINGHAL] (religious organization)<br /><br /><strong>other:</strong><br />numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations<br />hundreds of social reform, anti-corruption, and environmental groups at state and local level<br />various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy
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Transnational Issues
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Disputes
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International
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none
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since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; Kashmir remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India and Pakistan resumed bilateral dialogue in February 2011 after a two-year hiatus, have maintained the 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir, and continue to have disputes over water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; Prime Minister Singh's September 2011 visit to Bangladesh resulted in the signing of a Protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, which had called for the settlement of longstanding boundary disputes over undemarcated areas and the exchange of territorial enclaves, but which had never been implemented; Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal
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