National Assembly - Speaker Pillay resigns |30 January 2018
● By-election for Anse Boileau MNA within 30 days
National Assembly Speaker Patrick Pillay has resigned and the news was confirmed through a statement released by the legislative body yesterday.
The communiqué writes that “in accordance with the provisions of Article 83 (4) of the Constitution, the office of the clerk of the National Assembly has today received a letter of resignation from the Honorable Patrick Georges Pillay, as Speaker of the National Assembly”.
The National Assembly added that in the same communication, Mr Pillay also submitted his resignation as member of the National Assembly for the electoral area of Anse Boileau.
The office of the clerk also notified the two leaders in the National Assembly ‒ Wavel Ramkalawan and Charles Decommarmond ‒ Vice-President Vincent Meriton, Chief Justice Mathilda Twomey (being the heads of the two other branches of government) and the chairperson of the electoral commission.
In accordance with the Constitution, the members of the National Assembly will elect a new Speaker at the next sitting. For the Anse Boileau district, a by-election will be organised by the electoral commission in the next 30 days.
A member of the opposition coalition Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), Mr Pillay was elected as a member for Anse Boileau in the parliamentary elections of September 2016 and was elected Speaker of the National Assembly at the Assembly’s first sitting following these elections.
Mr Pillay is the leader of Lalyans Seselwa ‒ a political party that is part of LDS ‒ the grouping that came into existence in 2016 to contest the National Assembly elections. The three other opposition parties of the LDS are the Seychelles National Party (SNP), the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSJD) and the Seychelles United Party (SUP). Independent candidate Philippe Boulle also forms part of LDS.
The communiqué adds that the National Assembly “was honoured to have Honorable Patrick Pillay as Speaker”.
As for President Danny Faure, who is in Ethiopia attending the 30th session of the African Union (AU) summit of heads of state, he confirmed that he received at 4.40pm yesterday, a letter from the clerk of the National Assembly, advising him that Mr Pillay had resigned as Speaker of the National Assembly, and also as the member of the National Assembly.
The president has thanked Mr Pillay for the leadership role he has played as head of the legislature since his election as Speaker on September 27, 2016.
“Mr Pillay has discharged his responsibilities in his own unique style, that he had transformed the National Assembly by opening it up and bringing it closer to the population. He has promoted the values of good governance, transparency and accountability,” said President Faure.
He added that “Mr Pillay has contributed to the evolution of our young democracy, and he has been instrumental in furthering the process of cohabitation”.
It was through a simple email addressed to the clerk, Jutta Alexis, that Mr Pillay made known his resignation and he wrote: “Today Monday 29th January 2018 is the 111th birthday of my hero – the one who taught me honesty, hard work, humanness, honour and humility.
“Today I am submitting my resignation as the Speaker and Anse Boileau MNA in the Seychelles National Assembly.
“I would appreciate if you could inform the competent authority of my decision.
“I would like to thank all those who have supported me and continue to support me in my political journey.”
Seychelles NATION contacted Mr Pillay to gather some more information about the reasons behind his resignation, but we were unsuccessful as he did not answer his mobile phone.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Frank Ally has said that despite the recent resignation of the chairman of the electoral commission, Hendrick Gappy, the other members can still hold the bi-election.
“The Constitution makes provision for an election to take place despite a vacancy within the electoral commission,” said Mr Ally.
This will be the third by-election to take place since the country’s return to multi-party democracy. The last time a by-election was held in Seychelles was in August 2012 when Parti Lepep’s candidate, Meggy Sodie Marie ‒ a former teacher at the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT) – won 1,317 votes.
Independent candidate Lucas Georges came second with 650 votes, while Jane Carpin of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) came third, scoring 170 votes.
The National Assembly seat for Anse Aux Pins fell vacant when former member Jhowla Manoo tendered his resignation on July 11, 2012.
In July 1998, Jean-François Ferrari, who resigned from the National Assembly seat on June 24 “to seek a fresh mandate from the electorate”, got 612 of the total 704 votes cast to be re-elected Mont Fleuri MNA, while the only other contestant, Frank Elizabeth of the Democratic Party, got 84 votes.
The Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF), now Parti Lepep, did not field a candidate at the by-election, saying it was a farce and a waste of time.