1983-1995. In 1983, the first-ever elections for the new Regional Council were held and leftist parties walked out with a squeak win. The separatist Martinique’s Independent Movement grabbed 3% of the votes. Aimé Ceésaire is elected president of the council.
In 1986, she is appointed first leftist representative to the French Senate. Representation in France’s National Assembly is increased to four members.
In 1988, a left-wing coalition snatched 23 of the 45 seats in the Regional Council. A year later on the course of municipal elections, center-rightist parties garnered 43,5% of the votes for the Parliament. Socialists walked off with 35,5%, while turnout on election day was a meager 16,1%.
In 1991, during a visit to the island paid by French president François Miterrand and U.S. president George Bush, functionalism walked out on general strike.
Inn 1992, left-leaning and pro-independence parties won a majority in the elections. The Maastrich Treaty is ratified in a plebiscite with a ballpark turnout of just 25% of the population.
In 1993, right-wing parties won most of the representation seats in the elections for the French National Assembly.
In 1994, the government wins the majority of the vote in the parliamentary elections, thus routing the leftist coalition.
In 1995, banking employees walked the picket lines to demand higher salaries caused by economic problems and worsened by the unification of banking, public and private-sector workers in just one trade union.
