Politics of French Guiana

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

région and overseas department of France, with the same government institutions as areas on the French mainland. The administrative center is Cayenne
.

The President of France appoints a

in 2016.

As of 2020 the prefect is Thierry Queffelec.[1] The President of the Guianese Assembly since 2021 is Gabriel Serville.[2]

Key issues and players

Politics in French Guiana are dominated by the Guianese Socialist Party, which has a close association with the Socialist Party in mainland France.

A chronic issue affecting French Guiana is the influx of illegal immigrants and clandestine

Gendarmerie and the French Foreign Legion
to patrol.

There have been several phases launched by the French government to combat illegal gold mining in French Guiana, beginning with Operation Anaconda beginning in 2003, followed by Operation Harpie in 2008, 2009 and Operation Harpie Reinforce in 2010. Colonel François Müller, the commander of French Guiana's gendarme, believes these operations have been successful. However, after each operation ends, Brazilian miners, known as

garimpeiros, return.[3] Soon after Operation Harpie Reinforce began, an altercation took place between French authorities and Brazilian miners. On March 12, 2010, a team of French soldiers and border police were attacked while returning from a successful operation, during which "the soldiers had arrested 15 miners, confiscated three boats, and seized 617 grams of gold... currently worth about $22,317". Garimpeiros returned to retrieve the lost loot and colleagues. "The soldiers fired warning shots and rubber "flash balls" but the miners managed to retake one of their boats and about 500 grammes of gold. "The violent reaction by the garimpeiros can be explained by the exceptional take of 617 grammes of gold, about 20 percent of the quantity seized in 2009 during the battle against illegal mining", said Phillipe Duporge, the director of French Guiana's border police, at a press conference the next day."[4]

General Council of French Guiana

The

President of the General Council of French Guiana
.

Composition

Party seats
Miscellaneous Left 7
Guianese Socialist Party 3
Independents 3
Miscellaneous Right 3
Union for a Popular Movement 3
Walwari 1

Regional Council of Guiana

The interior chamber of the Regional Council.

The

assembly or regional council
and is composed of 31 members who are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms.

Composition

Party seats
Guianese Socialist Party 29
Union for a Popular Movement 7
Walwari 7

Parliamentary representation

Guiana elects two senators to the

French Senate. The first woman to be elected to the Senate was Marie-Laure Phinéra-Horth in 2020.[5][6]

Current deputies

Guiana also elects two

French National Assembly. The last elections were held in June 2007. The Walwari has one deputy, Christiane Taubira, and the PSG has one deputy, Chantal Berthelot, who defeated long-time UMP incumbent Léon Bertrand
.

Constituency Member Party
1st Christiane Taubira Walwari
2nd Chantal Berthelot PSG

References

  1. ^ "Thierry QUEFFELEC - Nouveau préfet de la région Guyane". Government of French Guiana (in French). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Qui est Gabriel Serville, le nouveau président de la Collectivité territoriale de Guyane ?". France TV Info (in French). Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  3. ^ "untoldstories.pulitzercenter.org".
  4. ^ "untoldstories.pulitzercenter.org".
  5. ^ "Sénatoriales : Marie-Laure Phinéra-Horth devient la 1ère femme sénatrice de la Guyane". Guyane la 1ère (in French). Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  6. ^ "Mme Marie-Laure Phinera-Horth, sénatrice de la Guyane (Guyane) - Sénat". www.senat.fr. Retrieved 2022-04-08.