The politics of Seychelles have historical roots in both one-party socialism and autocratic 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,James Mancham,was overthrown in a bloodless coup by the Prime Minister France-Albert René. Renéinstalled a single-party socialist state under the Seychelles People's Progressive Front in 1979 which remained in power until 1993,when multiparty elections took place for the first time since independence,after restoring the multi-party system in 1991. Modern day Seychelles governance takes place in a framework of a presidential republic,whereby the President of Seychelles is both head of state and head of government,and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly.
The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement is the ruling political party in Cameroon. Previously known as the Cameroonian National Union,which had dominated Cameroon politics since independence in the 1960s,it was renamed in 1985. The national president of the CPDM is Paul Biya,the president of Cameroon,while the secretary-general of the party Central Committee is Jean Nkuete.
James Alix Michel,GCSK is a Seychellois politician who served as the third President of Seychelles from 2004 to 2016. He previously served as vice president under his predecessor,France-Albert René,from 1996 to 2004.
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 from 1978/9 to June 2009,when it changed its name to the People's Party. The party changed its name again in November 2018,from the People's Party to United Seychelles.
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 "totalitarian regime" of former President France-Albert René. It publishes a newsletter called Regar,which is frequently sued for libel by government officials. On Regar's front page of every issue is a quote from the constitution of Seychelles invoking their right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Sir James Richard Marie Mancham KBE was a Seychellois politician who founded the Seychelles Democratic Party and was the first President of Seychelles from 1976 to 1977.
The National Movement for the Society of Development,also known as the National Movement for the Development of Society is a political party in Niger. Founded under the military government of the 1974–1990 period,it was the ruling party of Niger from 1989 to 1993 and again from 1999 until 2010,when a coup on 18 February 2010,by a military junta called the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD),ousted President Mamadou Tandja.
The unicameral National Assembly is the Seychelles's legislative body.
Patrick Xavier Heriniaina Ramiaramanana is a Malagasy politician. He was Mayor of Antananarivo,the capital of Madagascar,before serving in the government from 2007 to 2008.
Parliamentary elections were held in Senegal on 3 June 2007 to elect the 150 members of the National Assembly. They had originally been planned to be held together with the presidential election on 25 February 2007,but were postponed. Fourteen parties or coalitions participated in the elections,but they were marked by a major opposition boycott. The ruling Sopi Coalition won 131 seats,including all 90 of the seats elected by majority voting.
Nicholas Prea is a speaker of the National Assembly of the Seychelles. An engineer by profession,he is a member of the Seychelles National Party.
Patrick Herminie is a Seychellois politician who served as a Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles from 2007 to 2016. He was first elected to the Assembly in 1993 and served as Leader of Government Business from 1998 to 2003. He was a member of the People's Party and plans to run in the 2025 presidential election as the candidate for the United Seychelles Party (USP).
Marie-France Lalonde is a Franco-Ontarian politician in Ontario,Canada who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Orléans as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2019. She also served as the Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the provincial riding of Orléans from 2014 until 2019,when she resigned her seat to run federally. She then won in her riding with 54 percent of the vote.
Mathilda Twomey is a Seychellois lawyer and academic. She is the first female judge in the history of Seychelles and also the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Seychelles.
Parliamentary elections were held in Seychelles from 8 to 10 September 2016. Three parties and three independent candidates ran for the 25 directly-elected seats. The result was a victory for the opposition Linyon Demokratik Seselwa alliance,which won 19 of the 33 seats. It was the first time since the 1979 elections that the People's Party did not win a majority of seats.
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 16 July 2017,with a second round of voting following on 30 July in constituencies where no candidate secured a majority.
Linyon Demokratik Seselwa 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 the four main opposition parties:the Seychelles National Party (SNP) led by Wavel Ramkalawan,the Seychellois Alliance (LS) led by Patrick Pillay,the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy led by Alexia Amesbury and the Seychelles United Party led by Robert Ernesta. The Seychellois Alliance left the coalition in February 2018 after the resignation of their leader Patrick Pillay as speaker and member of the National Assembly in January 2018.
General elections were held in Seychelles on 22–24 October 2020 to elect the President and members of the National Assembly. The National Assembly elections had been due in 2021,but in July 2020 were brought forward by President Danny Faure in order to hold them together with the presidential elections,a proposal supported by opposition parties.
Ahmed Afif is a Seychellois politician and banker who has served as the Vice President of Seychelles since 27 October 2020.
Francesca Monnaie is a Seychelles politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly from 17 May 2016 until 27 September 2016. She was Secretary-General of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) from 2011 to 2016.
