The Seychelles islands remained uninhabited for more than 150 years after they became known to Western explorers. The islands appeared on Portuguese charts as early as 1505, although Arabs may have visited them much earlier. In 1742, the French Governor of Mauritius, Mahe de Labourdonnais, sent an expedition to the islands. A second expedition in 1756 reasserted formal possession by France and gave the islands their present name in honor of the French finance minister under King Louis XV. The new French colony barely survived its first decade and did not begin to flourish until 1794, when Queau de Quincy became commandant.

The Seychelles islands were captured and freed several times during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, then passed officially to the British under the Treaty of Paris in 1814.

From the date of its founding by the French until 1903, the Seychelles Colony was regarded as a dependency of Mauritius, which also passed from French to British rule in 1814. In 1888, a separate administrator and executive and administrative councils were established for the Seychelles archipelago. Nine years later, the administrator acquired full powers of a British colonial governor, and on August 31, 1903, Seychelles became a separate British crown colony.

In March 1970, colonial and political representatives of Seychelles met in London for a constitutional convention. Elections in November 1970 brought a resulting constitution into effect. Further elections were held in April 1974, in which both major political parties campaigned for independence. Following this election, negotiations with the British resulted in an agreement by which Seychelles became a sovereign republic on June 29, 1976. These negotiations also restored the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Des Roches--which had been transferred from Seychelles in November 1965 to form part of the new British Indian Ocean Territory to Seychelles upon independence.

Current Political Conditions

By 1963, political parties had developed in the Seychelles Colony. Elections held that year were contested for the first time on party lines. The following year, two new parties, the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) led by James Mancham, and the Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) led by France Albert Rene, replaced existing parties. In the November 1970 elections, the SDP won 10 seats, and the SPUP won 5 in the Legislative Assembly. Under the new constitution, Mancham became the chief minister of the colony.

During the April 1974 elections, the SDP increased its majority in the Legislative Assembly by 3 seats, gaining all but 2 of the 15 seats. Demarcation of constituencies was such that the SDP achieved this majority by winning only 52%, of the popular vote.

The SDP and SPUP formed a coalition government in June 1975 to lead Seychelles to independence. The British Government was asked to appoint an electoral review commission so that divergent views on the electoral system and composition of the legislature could be reconciled. As a result, 10 seats were added to the Legislative Assembly, 5 to be nominated by each party. A cabinet of ministers also was formed, consisting of 8 members of the SDP and 4 of the SPUP, with Chief Minister Mancham becoming prime minister. With independence on June 29, 1976, Mancham assumed the office of president, and Rene became prime minister.

Although the coalition appeared to operate smoothly, political divisions between the two parties continued. On June 5, 1977, during Mancham's absence at the London Commonwealth Conference, supporters of Prime Minister Rene overthrew Mancham in a smoothly executed coup and installed Rene as president. President Rene suspended the constitution and dismissed the parliament. The country was ruled by decree until June 1979, when a new constitution was adopted.

Under the constitution, the only recognized party is the Seychelles People's Progressive Front, an amalgam of the SPUP and several smaller political groups. The constitution provides for a strong executive headed by a president, who appoints ministers, a People's Assembly of 23 elected members, and a few appointed members. The legislature's primary purpose is to rule on proposals presented by the executive. The constitution limits the president to three consecutive 5-year terms, it is expected that Mr. Rene will be nominated again by the SPPF and will be re-elected and commence serving his last term in office in June 1989. The chief justice is appointed by the president. Judges other than the chief justice are appointed by the president in consultation with the chief justice.

In November 1981, a group of mercenaries attempted to overthrow the Rene government but failed when they were detected at the airport and repulsed. The government was threatened again by an army mutiny in August 1982, but it was quelled after 2 days, when loyal troops, reinforced by Tanzanian forces, recaptured rebel-held installations.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, November 1989.