Seychelles Politics

The Seychelles is an archipelago with about 115 islands though the Constitution lists 155. The Seychelles president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The previous president first came to power in a coup in 1977. He was democratically elected after constitutional reforms in 1992. He stood down in 2004 in favor of his vice-president, James Michel, who was re-elected in 2006. The cabinet is presided over and appointed by the president, subject to the approval of a majority of the legislature.

The unicameral Seychellois parliament consists of 34 members, of whom 25 are elected directly by popular vote, while the remaining 9 seats are appointed proportionally according to the percentage of votes received by each party. All members serve five-year terms.

The president is both the chief of state and head of government and is elected by popular vote for a 5-year term. The Council of Ministers serves as a cabinet, and its members are appointed by the president.
The unicameral National Assembly has 34 seats–25 elected by popular vote and 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve 5-year terms. The judicial branch includes a Court of Appeal and Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president. The legal system is based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law.

Seychelles has had a multi-party system with the adoption of a new constitution in 1993. Since then, multi-party elections took place in 1993, 1998, 2001, 2006, and 2007. The Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF) won the presidency and majority in the National Assembly in all of the elections.

Looking for more detailed information? Click on the topics below: