Politics, constitution and administrative structure of Seychelles

Seychelles has a republican administrative structure. The state structure is a democratic presidential republic. The capital of the State is the city of Victoria, which is located on the largest island in the archipelago – the island of Mahe. Previously, the Seychelles were under British, but in 1976 the republic gained full independence. The head of the republic is the President, elected by the local population. People who are citizens of the country and have reached the age of 18 can exercise their voting right. The term of office of the President is five years. At the same time, the same candidate cannot serve as the President of the Republic more than twice in a row. The President of the country represents Seychelles on the international stage. He has great influence in solving foreign policy issues, and also has the right to declare war since he is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The President has the right to appoint a Vice-President or remove him from office.

The supreme legislative body is the National Assembly. This body consists of only thirty-five deputies. Elections of candidates are held using the mixed type (majority and proportional type). In other words, twenty-five people get to the post in the National Assembly by universal suffrage of the residents of the Seychelles, while the rest of the deputies get to the post in equal numbers from parties, which in the last elections gained more than nine percent of votes. It is worth noting that despite the fact that Seychelles has long been not part of Great Britain, the legislative power is still based on the English common law. Also, some decisions are taken from French civil law and generally accepted case law.

The Government is the main executive authority. It is worth noting that it is the President of the country and not the Prime Minister, who is the head of it. In the cabinet of ministers itself there are only thirteen ministers who represent their own specialized ministries. Candidates are nominated by the Prime Minister, but they must be approved by the President himself. It should be noted that the Parliament is also obliged to jointly work on problems of planning and environmental protection, while the ministry of local government should solve problems connected with youth development, as well as sports in the territory of the republic. Local government bodies are also appointed by the President. At the same time, the National Assembly, when collecting two thirds of the vote, may call for a vote of no confidence to any of the existing ministers. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The main political parties in Seychelles are the Progressive Front of the People, the National Party of Islands and the Democrat Party, as well as the Democrats’ Alliance. The leading social organization is Association of all Seychelles Trade Unions. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority. It is recognized as the main court, and the Court of Appeal also takes the supreme position. There are also world court, the Magistrates’ court and local courts in the judicial system. Only the President of the country has the right to appoint all judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. It should be noted that to date almost all judges are citizens of Britain. Each foreign judge is elected for a period of seven years. If the judge was chosen by the citizens of Seychelles, then he must hold office until he is seventy years of age.

The domestic policy of the country is aimed at the democratization of life in society and the popularization of all democratic canons among the population. Free media are propagandized, there is an independent judicial system, and instances that protect human rights. The foreign policy of the Seychelles is quite active. They are a member of the Indian Ocean Commission and are working hard to make the ocean area a zone of peace. The republic chose the course peace-loving; therefore the country strictly forbids the approach of any warships to its ports. From the first days of its independence, the Seychelles became members of the United Nations. The internal armed forces of the Seychelles consist of more than six hundred people. The country also operates a so-called paramilitary force – the National Guard. It includes about three hundred people.