_#_Suffrage: universal at age 17

_#_Elections:

President--last held 9-11 June 1989 (next to be held June 1994);
results--President France Albert RENE reelected without opposition;

National Assembly--last held 5 December 1987 (next to be
held December 1992);
results--SPPF is the only party;
seats--(25 total, 23 elected) SPPF 23

_#_Communists: negligible, although some Cabinet ministers
espouse pro-Soviet line

_#_Other political or pressure groups: trade unions, Roman Catholic
Church

_#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, 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 B. MORAN; Embassy at 4th Floor, Victoria
House, Victoria (mailing address is Box 148, Victoria, and Victoria
House, Box 251, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles, or APO New York 09030-0006);
telephone (248) 25256

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

_*_Economy
_#_Overview: In this small, open, tropical island economy, the tourist
industry employs about 30% of the labor force and provides the main
source of hard currency earnings. In recent years the government has
encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other
services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the high
dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing,
and small-scale manufacturing.

_#_GDP: $283 million, per capita $4,100; real growth rate 7.0% (1989)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: 9% (1987)

_#_Budget: revenues $170 million; expenditures $173 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

_#_Exports: $31 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities--fish, copra, cinnamon bark, petroleum products
(reexports);

partners--France 63%, Pakistan 12%, Reunion 10%, UK 7% (1987)

_#_Imports: $164 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities--manufactured goods, food, tobacco, beverages,
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products;

partners--UK 20%, France 14%, South Africa 13%, PDRY 13%,
Singapore 8%, Japan 6% (1987)

_#_External debt: $171 millio