History

The Seychelles islands remained uninhabited for more than 150 years after they became known to Western explorers. The islands appeared on Portuguese charts as early 1505, although Austronesians or Arabs may have visited them much earlier.

French and British Rule

In 1742, the French Governor of Mauritius, Bertrand François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, sent an expedition to the islands. A second expedition in 1756 reasserted formal possession by France and gave the islands their present name in honour of the French finance minister under King Louis XV, Jean Moreau de Sechelles.

In 1771, a year after arriving, Pierre Poivre set up the first plantation industry in Seychelles with a view to compete with the Dutch in the European spice trade. During this time, Seychelles was also used as a transit point for slaves from Madagascar, India, Africa and other countries. A few were retained on the isalnds to work for their masters. The geographical location of Seychelles also made it an ideal place for both the British and the French during their respective reign of the islands to send their 'undesirables'. These included Louis XVII (son of Louis XVI), the archbishop Makarios of Cyprus (who went on to become President on his return to Cyprus) and King Prempeh of Ghana.

From 1794, the islands changed hands seven times between the French and the British, until it was occupied by the British in 1811 after a series of sea battles. The 1814 Treaty of Paris rendered both Seychelles and Mauritius formally British. A year later this cession was sanctioned and the Seychelles became under the dependence of Mauritius.

1835 saw the abolishment of slavery in the Seychelles and in 1853 the Roman catholic church was established.

In 1888, a separate administrator and executive and administrative councils were established for the Seychelles archipelago. Nine years later, the administrator acquired full powers of a British colonial governor, and on August 31, 1903, Seychelles became British Crown colony separate from Mauritius.

In 1958, the French bought back the Glorioso islands from the Seychelles.

Independence

In March 1970, colonial and political representatives of Seychelles met in London for a constitutional convention, with the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) of James Mancham advocating closer integration with the UK, and the Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) of France-Albert René advocating independence. Elections in November 1970 brought a new constitution into effect, with Mancham as Chief Minister. Further elections were held in April 1974, in which both major political parties campaigned for independence. Following this election, negotiations with the British resulted in an agreement under which the Seychelles became an independent republic within the Commonwealth on June 29, 1976. The newly knighted Sir James Mancham became the country's first President, with René as Prime Minister. These negotiations also restored the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Des Roches, which had been transferred from Seychelles in November 1965 to form part of the new British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), to Seychelles upon independence.

One-Party Rule

On June 5, 1977, a coup d'état saw Mancham deposed while overseas, and René became President. The Seychelles became a one-party state, with the SPUP becoming the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF).

In 1981, the country experienced a failed coup attempt by Mike Hoare and a team of mercenaries. An international commission, appointed by the UN Security Council in 1982, concluded that South African defence agencies had been involved in the attempted takeover, including supplying weapons and ammunition. The government was threatened again by an army mutiny in August 1982, but it was quelled after 2 days when loyal troops, reinforced by Tanzanian forces, recaptured rebel-held installations.

Multiparty Rule

At an Extraordinary Congress of the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) on December 4, 1991, President Rene announced a return to the multiparty system of government after almost 16 years of one-party rule. On December 27, 1991, the Constitution of Seychelles was amended to allow for the registration of political parties. Among the exiles returning to Seychelles was James Mancham, who returned in April 1992 to revive his party, the Democratic Party (DP). By the end of that month, eight political parties had registered to contest the first stage of the transition process: election to the constitutional commission, which took place on July 23-26, 1992.

The constitutional commission was made up of 22 elected members, 14 from the SPPF and 8 from the DP. It commenced work on August 27, 1992 with both President Rene and Mancham calling for national reconciliation and consensus on a new democratic constitution. A consensus text was agreed upon on May 7, 1993, and a referendum to approve it was called for June 15-18. The draft was approved with 73.9% of the electorate in favour of it and 24.1% against.

July 23-26, 1993 saw the first multiparty presidential and legislative elections held under the new constitution, as well as a resounding victory for President Rene. Three political groups contested the elections--the SPPF, the DP and the United Opposition (UO) - a coalition of three smaller political parties, including Parti Seselwa. Two other smaller opposition parties threw in their lot with the DP. All participating parties and international observer groups accepted the results as "free and fair".