Elections in Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe elects a legislature on the regional and departmental level. The legislature consists of two councils with diverging powers. The Regional Council of Guadeloupe (Conseil régional) has 41 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. The Departmental Council of Guadeloupe (Conseil général), known as the General Council until 2015, has members elected for a six-year term in single-seat constituencies. Guadeloupe has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.