vernment: President
France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
(34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional
basis to parties winning at least 10 % of the vote; members serve
five-year terms) elections: percent of vote by party - SPPF 61.7%,
UO 26.1%, DP 12.1%; seats by party - SPPF 30, UO 3, DP 1 note: the 9
awarded seats are apportioned according to the percentage that each
party won of the total vote

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts
are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM];
Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or
UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF
[France Albert RENE] - the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders: Roman Catholic Church; trade
unions

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Claude
Sylvestre MOREL chancery: 800 Second
[1] (212) 972-1786 telephone:
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles

Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red,
white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side

Economy Seychelles

Economy - overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in
this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old
near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which
employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard
currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. 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
dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing,
and small-scale manufacturing. The vulnerability of the tourist sector
was illustrated by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the