MLS party formally objects to Private Member’s Bill |09 June 2025
- Warns of Constitutional breach and threat to democracy
Mouvman Lavwa Seselwa has formally objected to Private Member’s Bill No. 2 of 2025, to the electoral commission, which proposes a controversial amendment to Section 29A of the Political Parties (Registration and Regulation) Act.
The proposed change is due to be debated before the National Assembly this week. The Bill introduces a new subsection (29A(5)) which would allow for: “Any contribution, donation or assistance for the sole purpose of human capacity improvement, capacity development, capacity building, and training of members of a political party [to] not be considered as a contravention of the section.”
In a press communique issued yesterday Mouvman Lavwa Seselwa (MLS) said its secretary general, Dr Barry Nourrice, has submitted a formal letter to Chief Electoral Officer Manuella Amesbury calling on the Electoral Commission to publicly clarify whether it was consulted and state its position on the amendment and advise the National Assembly to defer or withdraw the Bill.
The letter also calls on the commission to assess the constitutionality of the proposed amendment, to issue guidelines to political parties on lawful and unlawful funding and to consider Constitutional Court referral if the amendment is passed without due process.
MLS said the amendment would effectively “undermine current restrictions on foreign and non-citizen funding of political parties in Seychelles, opening the door to potential manipulation of the democratic process, particularly with the September 2025 General Elections only three months away”.
The party raised key concerns which include Constitutional breach, stating the amendment circumvents the mandate of the Electoral Commission under Article 115A of the Constitution. “Reform of political financing laws must follow a consultative process led by the Commission, which already concluded such consultations in 2024,” it stated.
Secondly it cited foreign interference saying the proposed exemption is vague and subject to abuse, enabling foreign entities to disguise partisan political support as “capacity building”. “This dilutes national sovereignty and weakens legal safeguards against external influence.”
Another concern is democratic backsliding. MLS said passing such an amendment so close to an election constitutes rule-changing in the middle of the game, leading to electoral inequity and public mistrust in the integrity of the process
“This is not just a legislative technicality, it is a fundamental question of whether our democratic institutions and legal safeguards can be bypassed for partisan convenience,” said Dr Nourrice.
“We are calling on all Seychellois, civil society, the media, and democratic institutions , to stand against this dangerous erosion of our electoral integrity,” added the communique.
Contributed