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The politics of Seychelles have historical roots in both one-party
socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...
and
autocratic Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except per ...
rule. Following independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, Seychelles was a sovereign republic until 1977, when the original President and leader of the
Seychelles Democratic Party The Seychelles Democratic Party is a political party in Seychelles. It was founded by the late Sir James Mancham in 1964, and governed the country from 1976 to 1977. History After a time in exile in the United Kingdom, Mancham returned to the ...
, James Mancham, was overthrown in a bloodless coup by the Prime Minister
France-Albert René France-Albert René (; 16 November 1934 – 27 February 2019) was a Seychellois lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the second President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004. He also served as the country's 2nd Prime Minister from its in ...
. René installed a single-party socialist state under the
Seychelles People's Progressive Front United Seychelles is a political party in Seychelles. It publishes a newspaper called ''The People''. It was known as the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (french: Front Progressiste du Peuple Seychellois) until June 2009, when it changed i ...
which remained in place until 1993, when multiparty elections took place for the first time since independence. Modern day Seychelles governance takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the
President of Seychelles This article contains a list of presidents of the Republic of Seychelles. Presidents (1976–present) :Notes Timeline Latest election See also *Seychelles ** Politics of Seychelles **List of colonial governors of Seychelles **Vice-Pre ...
is both
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
and
head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
, and of a
multi-party system In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in ...
.
Executive power The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems b ...
is exercised by the government.
Legislative power A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known a ...
is vested in both the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
and the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
.


Political history


Pre-independence political movements

While under British colonization, the people of the
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
had little to no say in how they were governed. Following the end of World War I, however, this began to change. The first political movement in the Seychelles was the Planters Association, which came into existence around 1918. In addition to the movement of the Planters Association, workers in the Seychelles petitioned the government about their poor working conditions and tax structure, which led to some proposed reform by the governor at the time, Governor Sir
Arthur Grimble Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, (Hong Kong, 11 June 1888 – London, 13 December 1956) was a British Colonial Service administrator and writer. Biography Grimble was educated at Chigwell School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then wen ...
. Ultimately though, these reforms did not go into action, as the beginning of World War II put everything on hold. The Planters Association was primarily focused on the interests of rich, white landowners and not the workers whom they employed. The League of Coloured Peoples formed as a result, and demanded minimum wage laws and health care reform. The first actual political party, the Taxpayers Association, was not formed until 1939. This Taxpayers Association was also an organization primarily made up of rich white landowners, so its goals were, again, purely the advancement of their personal interests and the interests of the plantocracy. 1948 marked the first year in which Seychelles enjoyed any sort of suffrage, but it was limited only to literate property owners, which made up just 2,000 people in a population of over 36,000. As a result of the first elections in 1948, most representatives on the new Legislative Council were members of either the Planters' or Taxpayers' organizations. In 1964, the Socialist Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) was formed. Led by London-educated lawyer France Albert Rene, they campaigned on a platform of autonomy from Britain. Another London-educated lawyer, James Mancham headed the
Seychelles Democratic Party The Seychelles Democratic Party is a political party in Seychelles. It was founded by the late Sir James Mancham in 1964, and governed the country from 1976 to 1977. History After a time in exile in the United Kingdom, Mancham returned to the ...
(SDP), which was created the same year, and by contrast wanted closer integration with Britain. Early elections between these two parties seemed in part based on the personal rivalry between these two leaders. As a result of the 1967 elections, the first elections under universal adult suffrage, each party gained three seats in the legislature. Mancham's SDP retained a single-seat lead in the legislature, despite the SPUP having a slight margin of victory in number of votes. This result was met with protests and strikes by supporters of the SPUP throughout the following year. 1970 brought constitutional revisions to the colonial government of Seychelles, instituting a smaller-scale parliamentary system, but leaving plurality voting for the single-member districts. In the following elections in both 1970 and 1974, Mancham gained a small majority in votes, but a large one in seats, through a voting system which relied on the principle of "first past the post". Specifically in the 1974 elections, Mancham's SDP won a disproportionate amount of seats, 13 out of 15, with just barely over half of the vote. Social unrest was rampant during this period, with strikes and protests, as well as bombings in 1972, all attributed to the SPUP. While this was partially attributable to the issues faced with the voting system, tensions regarding independence and rumored political repression and jailing of SPUP activists was also a factor. In June 1975, the SDP and SPUP began a coalition government in order to negotiate independence with Britain. The British Government was asked to appoint an electoral review commission so that differences in opinion on legislative makeup and representation could be reconciled. An informal agreement between the two parties was reached, and ten seats were added to the Legislative Assembly, five to be nominated by each party. A cabinet of ministers also was formed consisting of eight members of the DP and four of the SPUP, with Chief Minister Mancham becoming
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
.


Independence

Although Mancham's SDP had initially opposed independence, public opinion on the island heavily favored it, and on June 29, 1976, the British officially granted independence to the Seychelles. Mancham was named the new president, and René became prime minister. The new government kept the original distribution of seats per their 1975 agreement. Each party agreed to a "grand coalition" until 1979, when the next elections would take place. Less than one year after independence, on 5 June 1977, the SPUP overthrew the newly formed government in a bloodless coup while Mancham was overseas at a Commonwealth conference in London."Seychelles." ''The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide'', edited by Helicon, 2018. ''Credo Reference'', https://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/seychelles. Accessed 04 Dec. 2019. René initially denied involvement, but eventually took responsibility as leader of the SPUP. This coup was claimed to have been to prevent the establishment of a one-party state, but likely was more motivated by the SPUP's lack of representation in the newly formed legislature. Following the coup, René was installed as president and ruled by proclamation for the next two years, before imposing a new constitution in 1979 without referendum. During this period, the SPUP was formally renamed the
Seychelles People's Progressive Front United Seychelles is a political party in Seychelles. It publishes a newspaper called ''The People''. It was known as the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (french: Front Progressiste du Peuple Seychellois) until June 2009, when it changed i ...
, and became the sole ruling party of the new single-party socialist state. New elections were also called in 1979, and Rene was formally elected President of Seychelles.


One-party socialism

One-party socialism was established in the Seychelles in 1979 by France-Albert Rene and his SPUP, and ended in 1991. During this time the state built one of Africa's highest gross domestic products per capita.


Return to multiparty system

After almost sixteen years of one-party rule, President Rene announced a return to the multiparty system of government at an Extraordinary Congress of the ruling
Seychelles People's Progressive Front United Seychelles is a political party in Seychelles. It publishes a newspaper called ''The People''. It was known as the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (french: Front Progressiste du Peuple Seychellois) until June 2009, when it changed i ...
(SPPF) on 4 December 1991. On 27 December 1991, the Constitution of Seychelles was amended to allow for the registration of political parties. Among the exiles returning to Seychelles was James Mancham, who returned in April 1992 to revive his party, the Democratic Party (DP). By the end of that month, eight political parties had registered to contest the first stage of the transition process: election to the Constitutional Commission, which took place on 23–26 July 1992. The Constitutional Commission was made up of twenty two elected members, fourteen from the SPPF and eight from the DP. It commenced work on 27 August 1992 with both President Rene and Mancham calling for national reconciliation and consensus on a new democratic constitution. A consensus text was agreed upon on 7 May 1993 and a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
to approve it called for 15–18 June. The draft was approved with 73.9% of the electorate in favor of it and 24.1% against. 23–26 July 1993 saw the first multiparty presidential and legislative elections held under the new constitution, as well as a resounding victory for President Rene. Three political groups contested the elections—the SPPF, the DP, and the United Opposition (UO)—a coalition of three smaller political parties, including Parti Seselwa. Two other smaller opposition parties threw in their lot with the DP. All participating parties and international observer groups accepted the results as "free and fair." Three candidates again contested the 1998 presidential election: Albert Rene (SPPF), James Mancham (DP), and Wavel Ramkalawan. Again, President Rene and his SPPF party enjoyed a landslide victory. The President's vote in the 20–22 March elections jumped to 66.6% from 59.5% in 1993, while the SPPF garnered 61.7% of the total votes cast in the National Assembly election, compared to 56.5% in 1993.


The twenty-first century

Early elections originally set for 2003 were called in August/September 2001. The Government Party SPPF again prevailed, although the main Opposition Party,
Seychelles National Party The Seychelles National Party (SNP) is a liberal political party in Seychelles. Its followers emphasize active multiparty democracy, respect for human rights and liberal economic reforms. It was founded in response to what it called the "totalit ...
(previously known as the United Opposition Party) headed by Wavel Ramkalawan, made a surprisingly strong showing and collected 46% of the total votes. The DP, headed by Mancham, did not take part in the elections. In April 2004, Rene retired as president, passing the office to his vice president, James Michel. At the next presidential election in July 2006, Michel polled 53.7% of valid votes, Wavel Ramkalawan 45.7% and Phillip Boulle 0.6%. In the May 2007 National Assembly elections,
Seychelles People's Progressive Front United Seychelles is a political party in Seychelles. It publishes a newspaper called ''The People''. It was known as the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (french: Front Progressiste du Peuple Seychellois) until June 2009, when it changed i ...
took 56.2% of votes and
Seychelles National Party The Seychelles National Party (SNP) is a liberal political party in Seychelles. Its followers emphasize active multiparty democracy, respect for human rights and liberal economic reforms. It was founded in response to what it called the "totalit ...
in coalition with
Seychelles Democratic Party The Seychelles Democratic Party is a political party in Seychelles. It was founded by the late Sir James Mancham in 1964, and governed the country from 1976 to 1977. History After a time in exile in the United Kingdom, Mancham returned to the ...
took 43.8%. This gave SPPF 18 directly elected seats plus 5 nominated, total 23 seats with the SNP/DP coalition taking 7 directly elected plus 4 nominated, total 11 seats. The former vice-president,
Danny Faure Danny Faure (born 8 May 1962) is a Seychellois politician who was President of Seychelles from 16 October 2016 until 26 October 2020. Previously, he served as Vice President of Seychelles from 2010 to 2016. Faure is a member of the United Seychel ...
, was sworn in as president in October 2016, following the surprise resignation of James Michel. The new National Assembly building on Ile du Port, Victoria opened in 2009. The building was partly financed by the Government of China.
Wavel Ramkalawan Wavel Ramkalawan (born 15 March 1959) is a Seychellois politician and Anglican priest who has been serving as the president of Seychelles since 26 October 2020. Ramkalawan was an opposition MP from 1993 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. He also served a ...
is the current President of Seychelles, and was elected in October 2020. Anglican priest Wavel Ramkalawan defeated President Danny Faure by 54.9% to 43.5%. The opposition took power in the Seychelles for the first time since 1977, following its victory in the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
. The election of the National Assembly was held on the 22–24 October 2020. The Seychelles National Party, the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy and the Seychelles United Party formed a coalition,
Linyon Demokratik Seselwa Linyon Demokratik Seselwa ( en, Seychellois Democratic Alliance/Union, LDS) is a liberal political coalition which has governed since 2016 in the Seychelles. They have 25 seats in the National Assembly. The coalition was originally made up of t ...
(LDS). LDS won 25 and former ruling party
United Seychelles United Seychelles is a political party in Seychelles. It publishes a newspaper called ''The People''. It was known as the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (french: Front Progressiste du Peuple Seychellois) until June 2009, when it changed i ...
(US) 10 seats of the 35 seats of the National Assembly.


Executive branch

,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
,
Wavel Ramkalawan Wavel Ramkalawan (born 15 March 1959) is a Seychellois politician and Anglican priest who has been serving as the president of Seychelles since 26 October 2020. Ramkalawan was an opposition MP from 1993 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. He also served a ...
,
LDS LDS may refer to: Organizations * LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, US Religion * Latter Day Saint movement (LDS movement), a collection of independent church groups **The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest group within t ...
, 26 October 2020 The
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
, who is both
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
and
head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term of office, and can be re-elected only once. The cabinet is presided over and appointed by the President, subject to the approval of a majority of the legislature.


Legislative branch

The
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
/Assemblée Nationale has 34 members, elected for a term of five years, 25 members elected in single-seat
constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
and 9 members elected by
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
.


Political parties and elections


Presidential elections


Parliamentary elections


Administrative divisions

Seychelles is divided in 25 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Royale, Au Cap, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, English River, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), Inner Islands, Les mamelles, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe Larue, Port Glaud, Roche Caiman, Saint Louis, Takamaka.


International organization participation

Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique The Agence de coopération culturelle et technique (ACCT, French for ''Agency of cultural and technical cooperation'') was founded in 1970 and was the precursor to what is now the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Canadian Jean-Louis ...
, ACP, AfDB, African Union,
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...
, ECA,
FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
, Group of 77,
IBRD The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, that is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers l ...
, ICAO, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,
IFAD The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD; french: link=no, Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA)) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to addres ...
,
International Finance Corporation The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of ...
, IFRCS,
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
,
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
, International Maritime Organization, InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
,
IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
,
International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...
(correspondent),
International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...
,
Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...
,
OPCW The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member s ...
, Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA),
Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security coopera ...
, UN,
UNCTAD The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
,
United Nations Industrial Development Organization The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...
,
UPU Upu or Apu, also rendered as Aba/Apa/Apina/Ubi/Upi, was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named ''Dimašqu'' / ''Dimasqu'' / etc. (for example, "Dimaški"-(see: Niya (kingdom)), in the letter correspon ...
,
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant).


References

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