Seychelles Government

The political system of Seychelles is classified as a presidential republic in which the president is the head of government and state within a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government and legislative power is vested in the ruling government and the National Assembly.

Elections for both the legislature and presidency are contested every five years, this is based on constitutional reforms of the 1990s. The Constitution of Seychelles was amended in late 1991 in order to return to a multi-party system which saw the first national legislative and presidential elections of this kind take place in 1993. The last national elections of Seychelles took place in 2016 and observers have called them fair and transparent.

The parliament of Seychelles, known as the National Assembly, consists of 33 seats and is located in the capital city of Victoria. 25 members of the assembly are elected by the citizens of Seychelles in constituencies or electorates and the remaining eight are voted in by proportional representation. The Linyon Demokratik Seselwa holds 19 seats and the People's Party holds 14. 42% of seats in the National Assembly of Seychelles are held by women.

The independence movement of the 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of the Seychelles People's United Party which ruled the country for 30 years (1977-2007). After independence from the United Kingdom, Seychelles was a one-party state for 16 years until the 1993 elections.