President of Seychelles will not vie for leader of Parti Lepep

President Danny Faure said “I have taken the decision not to stand in the next election for the post of party president." (State House)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles’ President Danny Faure said Friday that he will not stand in the next election for the post of party president that will take place during the congress of Parti Lepep on June 3.

“As the President of the Republic, I have decided that the moment has come to depart from the tradition of the last 24 years. I have taken the decision not to stand in the next election for the post of party president," Faure said in an address on SBC, Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation.

Faure said this meant that “as the President of the Republic, I will not be at the head of a political party. I am solely responsible for this decision that I took in the interest of Seychelles. I remain loyal to the principles that I believe in.”

After former President James Michel stepped down in April at an extraordinary congress, Faure had appeared to be the top candidate to lead the Parti Lepep political party.

Former President James Michel formally announced he was stepping down as the Lepep party's leader at an extraordinary congress of the party in April. (Patrick Joubert, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

When he was sworn in to office on October 16 last year after Michel's resignation, Faure had call for the nation to unite and reiterated his intention to work with the National Assembly.

The National Assembly, which was elected last September, has for the first time a majority that is not from the president’s party and in his first address to the members of the assembly, Faure said he will put more emphasis on good governance, transparency and accountability throughout his mandate.

Faure said that: “Since then, I have been working with people across all sectors of society. I established a direct dialogue with the opposition party. Through the Leaders Forum, I regularly meet the Speaker, the Leader of Opposition, and Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly.”

The President added that: “In the way we are doing our work, and in the way we are providing services, I have always insisted on the importance of separating politics, particularly partisan politics.”

He said that the Seychellois citizens deserve it because, "though the people who put us here have different backgrounds, different stories, and different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same, the aspirations they hold are shared. It is important that we treat all our citizens with dignity, respect, and compassion.”

“As head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces, I will continue my work for Seychelles and for all Seychellois without exception. Today I renew my commitment to serve the people of Seychelles," Faure concluded.