Saint Barthelemy: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy conventional short form: Saint Barthelemy local long form: Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy local short form: Saint-Barthelemy abbreviation: Saint-Barth (French); St. Barts or St. Barths (English) etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in honor of his brother Bartolomeo's namesake saint in 1493 |
|---|---|
| Dependency status | overseas collectivity of France |
| Capital | Gustavia
Gustavia
geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Independence | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
| National holiday | Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572) |
| Constitution | a4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
| Legal system | French civil law |
| Citizenship | see France |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age, universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012), represented by Prefect Philippe CHOPIN (since 16 November 2011) head of government: President of Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council elected by the Territorial Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council elections/appointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council indirectly elected by its members for a 5-year term; election last held in July 2012 (next to be held in 2017) election results: Bruno MAGRAS (SBA) reelected president; Territorial Council vote NA |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members elected by absolute majority vote in the first round vote and proportional representation vote in the second round; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 18 March 2012 (next to be held in July 2017) election results: percent of vote by party - SBA 73.8%, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 15.9%, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 10.3%; seats by party - SBA 16, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 2, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 1 note: Saint Barthelemy holds 1 seat in the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held not later than September 2017); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1; Saint Barthelemy elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1 |
| Political parties and leaders | All for Saint-Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth) (Benoit CHAUVIN) Saint-Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA (Bruno MAGRAS); affiliated with UMP Saint-Barth in Motion (Saint-Barth en Mouvement) (Maxime DESOUCHES) |
| International organization participation | UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
| Flag description | the flag of France is used |
| National symbol(s) | pelican |
| National anthem | name: "L'Hymne a St. Barthelemy" (Hymn to St. Barthelemy) lyrics/music: Isabelle Massart DERAVIN/Michael VALENTI note: local anthem in use since 1999; as a collectivity of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France) |