Political system
Short for SC by Abbreviationfinder, Seychelles is a republic where the president has great powers. The United Seychelles (formerly Parti Lepep) has been in power since 1977. One-party systems prevailed from 1979 to 1993, when multi-party systems were reintroduced.
The president is head of state and government as well as commander-in-chief. They appoint all the ministers, the vice-president, some high officials and judges and prosecutors. The government’s role is limited to advising the president. Ministers are not usually in the National Assembly.
- Countryaah: Total population and chart of Seychelles for years of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Also covers population density, birth rate, death rate and population growth rates.
Presidential elections and elections to the Legislative National Assembly are held at the same time every five years. The President may sit in power for a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. The National Assembly consists of up to 33 members, 25 of whom are elected by majority in one-person constituencies, while the rest (up to ten seats) is distributed proportionally between the parties that have received at least ten percent of the vote.
In 2017, several constitutional changes were made, which meant that a new election would be held within 90 days if a president died, resigned or was forced to leave his post. Previously, the vice president had automatically taken over power.
Political parties
The left-leaning United Seychelles (United Seychelles), which in 1978–2009 was called the Seychelles Progressive People’s Front (SPPF) and 2009–2018 Party Lepep, maintained a strong grip on power even since the multi-party system was reintroduced in 1993. To reach high positions within the state administration or gain access to government contracts have required close ties to the government party.
The party is closely associated with Albert René, who founded it in 1964. René was prime minister before taking office in a coup in 1977. According to the constitution, René was not allowed to stand for a fourth re-election as president. He resigned in 2004 and was succeeded by his Vice President James Michel, who then won the 2006, 2011 and 2015 presidential elections, but behind the scenes, René continued to influence politics. Michel resigned in 2016 and was replaced by Vice President Danny Faure. Party leader since 2017 is the current Vice President Vincent Meriton.
The opposition has strengthened its position during the 2000s. The leading opposition party Seychelles National Party (Seychelles National Party, SNP) is led by Pastor Wavel Ramkalawan. The SNP advocates increased liberalization of the economy and wants officials not to be politically appointed. The party is also working on changes to the electoral system that today are considered to favor the government party. When the new election was announced in 2011, one year in advance, the SNP decided to boycott the election. However, the party participated in the 2016 parliamentary elections in collaboration with four smaller parties, the Seychelles Democratic Alliance (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa, LDS). The alliance then won a majority of the seats in the National Assembly. One of the parties Lalyans Seselwa, left LDS in early 2018.
The Seychelles United Party (Seselwa United Party, Sup ; renamed 2013 by New Democratic Party, NDP) has in recent years lost in influence. James Mancham, who was the country’s president at independence, led the party from its founding in 1964 to 2005. Sup is now a member of the LDS Alliance.
In the 2011 election year, two new parties were formed: the Popular Democratic Movement (Popular Democratic Movement, PDM) and the Seychelles Freedom Party (Seychelles Freedom Party, SFP).
2009
November
The EU and Seychelles cooperate against pirates
The EU and Seychelles conclude an agreement to fight the Somali pirates together. The agreement allows the EU to deploy soldiers on the islands.
October
The United States promises support in pirate hunting
The United States promises to send drones (driverless aircraft) to the Seychelles to assist the country in the fight against the Somali pirates.
July
Political parties change names
The SPPF government changes its name to Parti Lepep (People’s Party). Michel, who until now has been secretary general, becomes party chairman, while ex-president René gets an honorary title as the party’s founder. The opposition party DP changes its name to the New Democratic Party (NDP), which was also its original name.
April
More piracy off the Seychelles
Somali pirates are becoming increasingly active in the waters around the Seychelles since the surveillance in Aden Bay outside Yemen and Somalia has tightened.
The Seychelles are granted tax relief
Seychelles successfully negotiates with the Paris Club and receives 45 percent of its foreign debt. The Paris Club is a forum where publicly guaranteed credits can be renegotiated when a country has had such a large payment problem that it cannot pay its debts.