Long-form name: Republic of Seychelles

Type: republic; member of the Commonwealth

Capital: Victoria

Administrative divisions: none

Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)

Constitution: 5 June 1979

Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law

National holiday: Liberation Day (anniversary of coup), 5 June (1977)

Branches: president; Council of Ministers; People's Assembly (25 members--23 elected and two appointed by the president for four-year terms)

Leader: @m5Chief of State and Head of Government President France Albert RENE (assumed the presidency 5 June 1977, elected President 26 June 1979)

Suffrage: universal adult

Elections: general election held June 1979 gave 98% approval to Rene as only presidential candidate on yes/no ballot; reelected in June 1984 with 92% of vote; People's Assembly election held in 1987

Political parties and leaders: Rene, who heads the Seychelles People's Progressive Front, came to power by a military coup in June 1977; until then he had been Prime Minister in an uneasy coalition with then President James Mancham, who headed the Seychelles Democratic Party; Rene banned the Seychelles Democratic Party in March 1978 and in March 1979 announced a new Constitution that turned the country into a one-party state

Communists: negligible, although some Cabinet ministers espouse pro-Soviet line

Other political or pressure groups: trade unions, Roman Catholic Church

Member of: AfDB, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Second Secretary, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Marc R. MARENGO; Chancery (temporary) at 820 Second Avenue, Suite 201, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 687-9766; US--Ambassador James MORAN; Embassy at 4th Floor, Victoria House, Victoria (mailing address is Box 148, Victoria, or APO New York 09030); telephone 23921 or 23922

Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (wavy), and green; the white band is the thinnest, the red band is the thickest

NOTE: The information regarding Seychelles on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Seychelles Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Seychelles Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.