About Mayotte > The Government

Like the archipelagos of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Mayotte is an administrative division with a higher degree of autonomy than a 'département'. This status is neither the same as a DOM (Departement d'Outre-Mer), nor as a TOM (Territoire d'Outre-Mer). This legal status has been given temporarily because of some criticism from the international authorities.

Mayotte 's government comprises a regional council of 19 members elected by universal suffrage and an executive power constituted of a prefect (appointed by the French Cabinet), of a Member of the National Assembly and of a Senator. Though Mayotte is still administered by the French with a unique temporarily regime in the French institutions. Its organization has been issued by the law nº 76-1212 of the 24 th of December 1976 . This law forecasted a consultation of the population for a final status during the three years following its promulgation. For numerous reasons this consultation took place only in July 2000.

Mayotte is divided in 19 cantons and 17 communes. Each of them is administered by a local council presided by a mayor who is elected by universal suffrage. All the discussions are submitted to the government's representative approbation. A court of first instance, a supreme court of appeal, and a court which deals with internal French civil service matters are settled in Mayotte .

Between 1989 and 1998 the Parliament has authorized the recourse to the order's procedure to introduce in Mayotte, with the necessary adaptations, some texts on the environment, the law, the public health, the urbanism, the insurances, the work laws, and so on.

At the same time the Islamic rights has been updated and modernized. Moreover the setting up of a significant French garrison (legion, marine and marine's infantry) and a prefectorial administration modeled on the French one has induced an economic inflow and has incited a lot of farmers to leave out their lands and find some salaried works of low qualification. It is now the law project nº 2932 of the 28 th of February 2001 which determines Mayotte 's status.