Saint Barthelemy Government - 2024

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Capital

name: Gustavia

geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named in honor of King Gustav III (1746-1792) of Sweden during whose reign the island was obtained from France in 1784; the name was retained when in 1878 the island was sold back to France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572)

Constitution

history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

amendments: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

Legal system

French civil law

Citizenship

see France

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch

chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Vincent BERTON (since 28 March 2022)

head of government: President of Territorial Council Xavier LEDEE (since 3 April 2022)

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 on 27 March 2022 (next to be held in 2027)

election results:
2022: Xavier LEDEE (Saint Barth United) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 13 votes for, 6 blank votes

2017: Bruno MAGRAS (Saint Barth First!) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 14 out of 19 votes

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); Saint Barthelemy indirectly elects 1 senator to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term and directly elects 1 deputy (shared with Saint Martin) to the French National Assembly

elections: Territorial Council - first round held on 20 March 2022 (next to be held in 2027); second round held on 27 March 2022
French Senate - election last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held on 30 September 2026)
French National Assembly - election last held on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held by June 2027)

election results: Territorial Council - percent of vote by party in first round - SBA 46.2%, Saint Barth Action Equilibre 27.1%, Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 26.8%; percent of vote by party in second round - Saint Barth Action Equilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 50.9%, SBA 49.2%, seats by party - Saint Barth Action Equilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 13, SBA 6; composition - men NA, women NA, percent of women NA
French Senate - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1
French National Assembly - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1

Political parties and leaders

All for Saint Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth) [Bettina COINTRE]
Saint Barth Action Equilibre [Marie-Hélène BERNIER]
Saint Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA [Romaric MAGRAS] (affiliated with France's Republican party, Les Republicans)
Saint Barth United (Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy) [Xavier LEDEE]

International organization participation

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy:

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)