Seychelles: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles local long form: Republic of Seychelles local short form: Seychelles etymology: named by French Captain Corneille Nicholas MORPHEY after Jean Moreau de SECHELLES, the finance minister of France, in 1756 |
|---|---|
| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | Victoria
Victoria
geographic coordinates: 4 37 S, 55 27 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 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, Glacis, Grand Anse Mahe, Grand Anse Praslin, Inner Islands, La Riviere Anglaise, Les Mamalles, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe Larue, Port Glaud, Roche Caiman, Saint Louis, Takamaka |
| Independence | 29 June 1976 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Constitution Day, 18 June (1993); Independence Day (National Day), 29 June (1976) |
| Constitution | previous 1970, 1979; latest drafted May 1993, approved by referendum 18 June 1993, effective 23 June 1993; amended several times, last in 2011 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Seychelles dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Danny FAURE (PL) (since 16 October 2016); Vice President Vincent MERITON (since 28 October 2016); note - James Alix MICHEL resigned the presidency effective 16 October 2016; the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Danny FAURE (PL) (since 16 October 2016); Vice President Vincent MERITON (since 28 October 2016); note - James Alix MICHEL resigned the presidency effective 16 October 2016 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 more terms); election last held on 3-5 December 2015 with runoff on 16-18 December 2015 (next expected in December 2020) election results: President James Alix MICHEL reelected president; percent of vote in second round - James Alix MICHEL (PP) 50.2%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (SNP) 49.8% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (up to 35 seats - the Assembly elected in September 2016 has 33 members; 25 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and up to 10 members elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 8-10 September 2016 (next to be held in 2021); note - the National Assembly was dissolved in July 2011 resulting in early elections election results: percent of vote by party - LDS 49.6%, PL 49.2%, other 1.2%; seats by party - LDS 19, PL 14 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Seychelles Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 4 justices); Supreme Court of Seychelles (consists of the chief justice and 9 puisine judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 3 Supreme Court judges) judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the Constitutional Appointments Committee, a 3-member body, with 1 member appointed by the president of the republic, 1 by the opposition leader in the National Assembly, and 1 by the other 2 appointees; judges appointed until retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts of Seychelles; Family Tribunal for issues such as domestic violence, and child custody and maintenance; Employment Tribunal for labor-related disputes |
| Political parties and leaders | People's Party (Parti Lepep) or PL (James Alix MICHEL) (formerly SPPF) Popular Democratic Movement or PDM (Francesca MONNAIE) Seychelles National Party or SNP (Wavel RAMKALAWAN) (formerly the United Opposition or UO) Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy or SPSD Seychellois Democratic Alliance (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa) or LDS (Roger MANCIENNE) (alliance consisting of SNP, Seychelloise Alliance, SPSD, and SUP) Seychelloise Alliance (Lalyans Seselwa) (Patrick PILLAY) Seselwa (Seychelles) United Party or SUP (Robert ERNESTA) (formerly the New Democratic Party or NDP) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, C, CD, COMESA, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Marie-Louise POTTER (since 19 September 2012) chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (1) (212) 972-1785 FAX: (1) (212) 972-1786 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the US Ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Seychelles |
| Flag description | five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side; the oblique bands are meant to symbolize a dynamic new country moving into the future; blue represents sky and sea, yellow the sun giving light and life, red the peoples' determination to work for the future in unity and love, white social justice and harmony, green the land and natural environment |
| National symbol(s) | coco de mer (sea coconut); national colors: blue, yellow, red, white, green |
| National anthem | name: "Koste Seselwa" (Seychellois Unite) lyrics/music: David Francois Marc ANDRE and George Charles Robert PAYET note: adopted 1996 |