On June 18 in 1993, the Third Republic of Seychelles was born and a multi-party politics was introduced following 16 years of one-party rule.
This brought about a new governance structure under the new Constitution, and a governance structure adhering to the principles of the Separation of Powers.
Under the new Constitution, Cabinet Ministers could not be Members of the National Assembly and vice-versa.
On July 30, 2023, the Seychelles’ National Assembly celebrated its 30th anniversary.
SNA brings you the Leaders of the Opposition who have served in this era.
James Mancham – 1st Assembly
The late former President of Seychelles (1976 to 1977) became the first Leader of the Opposition on July 30, 1993, for the Assembly’s first sitting by a proclamation gazetted by the then President France Albert Rene, representing the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front Party (SPPF).
Mancham remained in the post until parliament was dissolved in February 1998 by President Rene for fresh elections in March of the sa
me year.
Wavel Ramkalawan – 2nd, 3rd, 4th Assembly
Ramkalawan, who is the current President of Seychelles since Ocotboer 2020, became the Leader of the Opposition for the first time after the 1998 parliamentary elections held on March 21 to 25.
The National Assembly was after these elections made up of 34 members, one more than the last session.
The Seychelles Peoples Progressive Front (SPPF) won over 50 percent in all districts but lost to Ramkalawan in the central district of St Louis.
After the 2002 National Assembly elections which was sworn in on December 17, Ramkalawan remained as the Leader of the Opposition
His party – the Seychelles National Party won 40 percent of the total votes and in had 11 members in the National Assembly.
After the elections in 2007, the SNP got 43.8 percent of the total votes thus earning 11 seats in the Assembly of which 4 were proportionately elected.
Ramkalawan remained as the Leader of the Opposition until 2011 when the SNP boycotted the parliamentary elections of
that year.
David Pierre – 5th Assembly
In the 2011 elections, only the SPPF and the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) contested the election and Pierre was able to poll in 3,828 votes which added up to 10.89 percent of the 35,145 valid votes cast.
Though PDM contested in the elections, it did not win any seat as according to the Electoral Commission it had won only about 7 percent of the total votes cast. The leader of PDM did not agree with the decision taken and decided to bring this case before the Constitutional Court.
PDM won its appeal for the allocation of a proportionately elected seat in the National Assembly and Pierre nominated and voted himself Leader of the Opposition until he resigned on May 15 in 2016.
Francesca Monnaie – 5th Assembly
After Pierre submitted his resignation, Monnaie was sworn in as the Leader of the Opposition on May 16. She was formerly the Popular Democratic Movement’s secretary general.
Wavel Ramkalawan – 6th Assembly
In the parliamentary elections of September 2016,
the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) opposition coalition party, which included the SNP, for the first time in parliament history, won more seats than the government.
LDS occupied 15 seats while the United Seychelles party had 10.
Ramkalawan was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition until the general elections of October 2020 in which he was elected President.
Sebastien Pillay – 7th Assembly
After the October 2020 general elections, United Seychelles became the opposition party in the National Assembly after winning only 6 out of 20 constituencies.
Pillay was elected as the Leader of the Opposition of the 7th Assembly on October 28.
Source: Seychelles News Agency