Seychelles History and Government

Seychelles. They are a group of approximately 115 islands spread over 1,600 kilometers off the East African coast. The climate is tropical, with little variation in temperature, influenced by the monsoon winds. The capital, main city and most important port is Victoria. It has a population of 81,188 residents.

According to Politicsezine, the Seychelles are a group of approximately 115 islands spread over 1,600 kilometers off the coast of East Africa, west of the Indian Ocean, about 1 000 km north of Madagascar.

Relief and geology

The three main islands (Mahé, Praslin and La Digue) are mountainous and granite (the only ones in the world), while the rest are coral atolls. Unlike other similar islands, the Seychelles are not volcanic; rather they seem to be the peaks of an immense underwater plain.

History

First to arrive

The Seychelles is an archipelago that for thousands of years remained solitary. Were the Muslims the first to reach these islands, specifically Arab traders who used the islands as a point scale. In the sixteenth century, in its early years, the first Europeans arrived to the islands, it was the Portuguese who were in charge of reaching them, the explorers seeking routes to the Indies stumbled upon this archipelago In 1609 a ship from British eastern India reached the islands, and in the following years numerous pirates moved their operations from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, using these lands as a base.

French colonization

In 1742 the ruler of Mauritius, Mahé de La Bourdonnais, had the islands investigated. The ship’s captain, Picault, christened the main island after its governor gave way to the French to reclaim the island 12 years later. In 1770, French settlers arrived accompanied by slaves, and began to harvest spices, sugar cane, coffee, sweet potatoes, and corn.

English colonialism

At the end of the 18th century, the English began to show great interest in the island, and after twelve attempts, in 1814 they finally took it, defeating the French. However, the French language and culture remained alive during an English colonialism in which the number of slaves and political prisoners was constantly increasing. In 1964 the first political parties in the country were formed: France Albert René constituted the United Party of the Seychelles People (PUPS), and James Mancham generated the Democratic Party of Seychelles (PDS). The PDS, the party of businessmen, won the elections of 1966 and 1970, defeating the socialist PUPS.

Independence

In 1976, the country was declared independent, and both parties formed a coalition: Mancham became president, and René became prime minister. The president set out to make the Seychelles a luxurious destination, and while expanding his relationships with the world jet set, René was more concerned about the well-being of the people, until on June 5, 1977, he delivered a coup that ended power. from Mancham and turned the islands into a socialist republic.

In 1981 a group of South African mercenaries tried to invade the country, but they were found in time at the airport, where they killed two men and hijacked a plane to return to their country. The event and its aftermath made tourism practically disappear from Seychelles.

In 1991 René surprised his opponents (and perhaps his supporters as well) by legalizing opposition parties in response to pressure from other countries. In 1992 elections were held under the Commonwealth observation, and René was elected with absolute majority. A new Constitution was drawn up supporting the multi-party system, although France-Albert René remained in power until April 2004. René’s successor is current President James Alix Michel, who was re-elected on July 31, 2006.

Government

According to the 1979 Constitution, executive power is in the hands of a president elected by the people for a period of five years. The president elects a council of ministers to function as an advisory body. Legislative power is in the hands of the People’s Assembly, which has 23 members elected by the people and 2 appointed by the president. The Seychelles Popular Progressive Front is the main political group; opposition parties were legalized in 1991.

Political-administrative division

Seychelles is divided into 25 districts: