The Republic of the Seychelles consist out of more than a hundred islands dispersed over an area of 450 square kilometers. The islands are grouped into two categories, inner islands (Greater Victoria, Mahé and La Digue) and outer islands positioned between 400 and 1200 kilometers from the Inner Islands. The Outer Islands are very thinly populated and therefore form no part of any of the districts that form the administrative divisions of the Seychelles. The Inner Islands consist of a total of 25 administrative regions headed by an administrator who is appointed by government. Greater Victoria comprises eight districts which are positioned around the capital of Victoria on Mahé Island. The rest of Mahé is divided into 14 districts, the other inner Islands Praslin and La Digue are made up out of respectively two and one district(s). Local authorities are - like the administrators – appointed by central government. The Seychelles however have held local elections in 1991 under the Local Government Act but elected councils as well as the Act were abolished in 1993. The president and the national assembly who appoint local administrators for a period of 4 years will themselves be newly elected in 2011 and 2012.
Â
Despite the lack of local elections, the Seychelles have made local government an important part of its democratization process which started in the early nineties. After the initial period when local government was established firmly as a part of the Ministry of Local Government Youth and Sport, local government became a principal department of government in 2003. Although the department is the primary policy maker for local government, there was due attention for the growing requirements placed by local government. In this light a system of public appointments was created as a forum for all involved stakeholders in order to keep the district administrator informed of all developments. Further local structures were developed for consultation between local populations, the district administrators and central government.
Â
Development policies of local authorities are also created from the central government level. A focal point is the protection and development of the countries biodiversity in which the central government, the department of local government and international aid organizations cooperate. Other projects include the facilitation of the elderly and disabled by providing them with adequate infrastructure. An evaluative report published in 2004 on 10 years of local government in the Seychelles concluded that the primary goal for the future was to increase service delivery as well as the quality level of services provided by local authorities. Despite the lack of local elections the specific issues of localities are being addressed by the ministry and the administration that supports local government in the Seychelles.
|
