Reunion Government

Reunion is an overseas department of France, meaning that the island has nearly the same political status as metropolitan regions of mainland France. The country is governed by the 1958 Constitution of France and the chief of state is the sitting President of France. Reunion is governed locally by a Prefect who is appointed by and is a representative of, the French president. This appointment comes on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior.

Elections take place every six years for the General and Regional Council in Reunion as well as the French Senate. The National Assembly of France elects their members every five years and the Presidency of France is also contested every five years. Voting in the national elections of France is open to those citizens 18 years of age and over living in a French overseas department. Elections in France have long been considered some of the fairest and most transparent on the planet.

The General Council of Reunion has 47 seats and the Regional Council has 45 seats, both of which are unicameral. The parliament of France consists of a Senate and a National Assembly and is located in Paris. There are 577 seats in the National Assembly and 348 seats in the Senate. This parliament was founded in 1799 and is one of the most important in modern history.

There are no political parties in Reunion, as the territory shares political parties with metropolitan France.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018