Use of name Lafors Demokratik Seselwa |20 August 2016

EC reacts to court order

The Electoral Commission has reacted to the court order received on September 18, 2016 after Nomination Day instructing it not to register any political party and or candidates under the name LSD (Lafors Sosyal Demokratik).

The Electoral Commission has said it is putting forward a motion to the Supreme Court of Seychelles to fix a new date at the earliest by next week during the court vacation, as the Commission has to organise the printing of ballot paper the soonest for the national assembly election.

The Commission is of the opinion that the date of September 21, 2016 set for the case to be heard is unreasonable and will affect the election process of the national assembly.

The injunctions on the use of the name Lafors Sosyal Demokratik (LSD), as well as that of Linyon Sanzman were sought by the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) after the Electoral Commission proceeded to re-establish, just before Nomination Day for the National Assembly election, the registration of a party under the name Linyon Sanzman and also to register a new party under the name Lafors Sosyal Demokratik.

The injunctions were requested together with judicial review of these decisions by the Supreme Court which will be heard by the Supreme Court on September 21, 2016.

Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) has maintained that no party other than itself should be allowed to use the name Linyon Sanzman because it has been widely associated with that name. It has also objected to the use of the name Lafors Sosyal Demokratik (LSD) because it closely resembles its own name and is therefore contrary to Section 7 of the Political Parties (Registration and Representation) Act.