Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles
local long form: Republic of Seychelles
local short form: Seychelles
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: 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 (National Day), 18 June (1993); Independence Day, 29 June (1976)
Constitution:
previous 1970, 1979; latest drafted May 1993, approved by referendum 18 June 1993, effective 23 June 1993; amended many times, last in 2011 (2015)
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
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
Executive branch:
chief of state: President James Alix MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); Vice President Danny FAURE (since 1 July 2010); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President James Alix MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); Vice President Danny FAURE (since 1 July 2010)
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 with runoff on 16-18 December 2015 (next to be held NA)
election results: President James MICHEL reelected president; percent of vote in second round - James MICHEL (PP) 50.2%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (SNP) 49.8%
Legislative branch:
description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats; 25 members directly elected in single-member constituencies by simple majority vote and 9 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
elections: last held on 29 September - 1 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016); note - the National Assembly was dissolved in July 2011 resulting in early elections
election results: percent of vote by party - PL 88.6%, PDM 10.9%, independent 0.6%; seats by party - PL 33, PDM 1; note - the SNP and NDP boycotted the 2011 elections
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 [David PIERRE]
Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the United Opposition or UO)
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 Cecile POTTER (since 6 September 2012)
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
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
NOTE: The information regarding Seychelles on this page is re-published from the 2016 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Seychelles Government 2016 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Seychelles Government 2016 should be addressed to the CIA.
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This page was last modified 27-Apr-16