Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: ruling party-Seychelles People's
Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE]; Democratic Party or
DP; United Opposition or UO [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] - a coalition of the
following parties: Seychelles Party or PS [Wavel RAMKALAWAN],
Seychelles Democratic Movement or MSPD [Jacques HONDOUL], and
Seychelles Liberal Party or SLP [Ogilvie BERLOUIS]; New Democratic
Party [Christopher GILL (former member of DP)]
Political pressure groups and leaders: trade unions; Roman Catholic
Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Claude MOREL chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of Seychelles to the United Nations, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785 FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
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
@Seychelles:Economy
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, which accounted for 70% of GDP in 1996-97. 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 Gulf war. Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$550 million (1997 est.)