Government & politics — Seychelles
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Seychelles: Republic of Seychelles
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Republic of Seychelles
- Country Name
Seychelles
- Local - Long
Republic of Seychelles
- Local - Short
Seychelles
- Etymology- history of name
named by French Captain Corneille Nicholas MORPHEY after Jean Moreau de SECHELLES, the finance minister of France, in 1756
- Independence
29 June 1976 (from the UK)
- National Holiday
Constitution Day, 18 June (1993); Independence Day (National Day), 29 June (1976)
Political system
- Government Type
presidential republic
- Constitution
- history: previous 1970, 1979; latest drafted May 1993, approved by referendum 18 June 1993,
- effective 23 June 1993 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting the country’s sovereignty, symbols and languages, the supremacy of the constitution, fundamental rights and freedoms, amendment procedures, and dissolution of the Assembly also requires approval by at least 60% of voters in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2018
- Legal System:
mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: President Wavel RAMKALAWAN (since 26 October 2020); Vice President Ahmed AFIF (since 27 October 2020); the president is
- both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Wavel RAMKALAWAN (since 26 October 2020);
- Vice President Ahmed AFIF (since 27 October 2020) cabinet: Council o
- f Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22
- to 24 October 2020 (next to be held in 2025) election results: 2020: Wavel RAMKALAWAN elected president; Wavel RAMKALAWAN (LDS) 54.9%, Danny FAURE (US) 43.5%, other 1.6% 2015: President James Alix MICHEL reelected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - James Alix MICHEL (PL) 47.8%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (SNP) 35.3%, other 16.9%; percent of vote in second round - James Alix MICHEL 50.2%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN 49.8%
- Legislative Branch:
Description
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (35 seats in the 2020-25 term; 26 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and up to 9 members elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections
last held on 22-24 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025);
Note
the election was originally scheduled for 2021 but was moved up a year and held alongside the presidential election in order to cut election costs
Election Results
- percent of vote by party - LDS 54.8%, US 42.3%, other 2.9%
- seats by party - LDS 25, US 10;
Composition
men 27, women 8, percent of women 22.9%
- 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 puisne 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 Authority, 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 serve until retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts of Seychelles; Family Tribunal for issues such as domestic violence, child custody, and maintenance; Employment Tribunal for labor-related disputes
- Regions or States:
27 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, Ile Perseverance I, Ile Perseverance II, La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Les Mamelles, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe Larue, Port Glaud, Roche Caiman, Saint Louis, Takamaka
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy or SPSJD [Vesna RAKIC]
- Seychellois Democratic Alliance or LDS (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa/Union Démocratique Seychelloise) (coalition includes SNP and SPSJD) [Roger MANCIENNE]
- Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]
- United Seychelles or US [Patrick HERMINIE]
- Note: only parties with seats in the National Assembly listed
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent mu
- no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Victoria
- Capital - geographic coordinate
4 37 S, 55 27 E
- Capital Time Difference
UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
International role
- 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
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Henry V. JARDINE (since 22 February 2023); Chargé d’Affaires Adham LOUTFI (since 6 October 2023) note - Ambassador JARDINE is posted in Mauritius and is accredited to Seychelles, and Chargé d’Affaires LOUTFI is posted in Victoria, Seychelles to manage the expanding policy interests embassy: 2nd Floor, Oliaji Trade Center, Victoria Mahe, Seychelles; note - US Embassy in Seychelles reopened on 1 June 2023 after having been closed in 1996
telephone
[248] 422 5256
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Ian Dereck Joseph MADELEINE (since 1 December 2021) note - also Permanent Representative to the UN
chancery
685 Third Avenue, Suite 1107, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10017
telephone
[1] (212) 972-1785
FAX
[1] (212) 972-1786
Email address and website
- seychelles@un.int
consulate(s) general
New York