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Freedom in the World - Seychelles (2004)

Political Rights: 3
Civil Liberties: 3
Status: Partly Free
Population: 100,000
GNI/Capita: $6,530
Life Expectancy: 70
Religious Groups: Roman Catholic (86.6 percent), Anglican (6.8 percent), other (6.6 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Seychellois [mixture of Asian, African and European]
Capital: Victoria

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Overview

The long-time president of Seychelles, France Albert Rene, indicated in 2003 that he would begin transferring some of his presidential functions to his heir apparent, Vice President James Michel.

Seychelles, an archipelago of some 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, was a French colony until 1810. It was then colonized by Britain until its independence in 1976. The country functioned as a multiparty democracy for only one year before Rene, then prime minister, seized power, in June 1977, by ousting President James Mancham. Mancham and other opposition leaders operated parties and human rights groups in exile after Rene made his ruling Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) the sole legal party.

Rene won one-party "show" elections in 1979, 1984, and 1989. By 1992, however, the SPPF had passed a constitutional amendment to legalize opposition parties, and many exiled leaders returned to participate in a constitutional commission and multiparty elections. Rene won a legitimate electoral mandate in the country's first multiparty poll in 1993.

The March 1998 presidential and legislative elections were accepted as generally legitimate by opposition parties, which had waged a vigorous campaign. The Seychelles National Party (SNP), led by the Reverend Wavel Ramkalawan, emerged as the strongest opposition group; the party espouses economic liberalization, which Rene has resisted. However, SPPF control over state resources and most media gave ruling-party candidates significant advantages in the polls, and both Rene and the SPPF were returned to power.

The political dominance of President Rene and the SPPF was shaken in the August 2001 presidential election. The opposition increased its vote total from 20 to 45 percent, and Rene's narrow victory engendered widespread opposition complaints of fraud. An official observer delegation from the Commonwealth concluded that the elections were peaceful, but not entirely free and fair.

The SNP subsequently filed a complaint with the Seychelles Constitutional Court, claiming that the incumbent extended his campaign beyond the official period, overtly intimidated voters, and put the names of deceased or under-aged persons on the lists of registered voters. The case was rejected by the Constitutional Court.

In October 2002, Rene dissolved parliament and called for early legislative elections in December. The SPPF won the poll, but the SNP made significant inroads, winning 43 percent of the vote.

In 2003, Rene indicated that he would begin to transfer some of his presidential duties to his vice president and chosen successor, James Michel. President Rene also currently heads the country's Defense, Interior, and Legal Affairs ministries. The next presidential election is due in 2006.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Citizens of the Seychelles can change their government democratically, though with some limitations. The current constitution was drafted in 1993 by an elected constitutional commission. Seychelles had become a one-party state under the regime established following the 1977 military coup, but legislation to allow opposition parties was passed in December 1991.

The president and the National Assembly are elected by universal adult suffrage for five-year terms. As amended in 1996, the constitution provides for a 34-member National Assembly, with 25 members directly elected and 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties with at least 10 percent of the vote. Other amendments have strengthened the powers of the president, whose term of office is five years with a maximum of three consecutive terms. Local governments composed of district councils were reconstituted in 1991 after their abolition two decades earlier.

The leadership of the opposition SNP claims that its sympathizers are harassed by police and are victims of public sector job-related security investigations, which are generally carried out by agents of the ruling SPPF at the district level.

Freedom of speech has improved since one-party rule was abolished in 1993. There is one daily government newspaper, The Nation, and at least two other newspapers support or are published by the SPPF. Independent newspapers are sharply critical of the government, but government dominance and the threat of libel suits restrict media freedom, and some self-censorship persists. The opposition weekly Regar has been sued repeatedly for libel under broad constitutional restrictions on free expression. The Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation's board of directors includes only SPPF partisans and a single official from former President James Mancham's Democratic Party. High licensing fees have discouraged the development of privately owned broadcast media.

The government respects freedom of religion in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Private nongovernmental organizations, including human rights-related groups, operate in the country. The right to strike is formally protected by the 1993 Industrial Relations Act, but is limited by several regulations. The SPPF-associated National Workers' Union no longer monopolizes union activity, and two independent unions are now active.

The judiciary includes the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, a court of appeals, an industrial court, and magistrates' courts. Judges generally decide cases fairly, but they still face interference in cases involving major economic or political actors. There are no Seychellois judges, and the impartiality of the non-Seychellois magistrates can be compromised by the fact that their tenure is subject to contract renewal. Security forces have been accused of using excessive force, including torture and arbitrary detention, especially in attempting to curb crime.

The government does not restrict domestic travel, but may deny passports for reasons of "national interest." Nearly all of Seychelles' political and economic life is dominated by people of European and Asian origin. Islanders of Creole extraction face de facto discrimination, and discrimination against foreign workers has been reported. President France Albert Rene and his party continue to control government jobs, contracts, and resources.

Women are less likely than men to be literate, and they enjoy fewer educational opportunities. While almost all adult females are classified as "economically active," most are engaged in subsistence agriculture. Domestic violence against women, reportedly widespread, is rarely prosecuted and only lightly punished.

Topics: Human rights,