First 100 days: Seychelles’ President pleased with progress but not satisfied
President Danny Faure taking the Oath of Allegiance and Presidential Oath at State House on October 16 last year. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency)
(Seychelles News Agency) - After his first 100 days in office, the Seychelles' President Danny Faure said he is pleased with the progress made but not satisfied.
One of the top priorities Faure set after he took office on October 16 was a process of national reconciliation and unity, including a "new chapter" for Seychelles.
"After the first 100 days, I am pleased with the progress we have made toward these goals," said Faure in a newsletter published on Wednesday.
Along those lines, the head of state of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, announced in his New Year message that June 5 will revert back to a normal working day.
The ‘Liberation Day’ public holiday on June 5 had been a point of contention between the government and the opposition, as it was marked by a coup d'état where the president at the time, James Mancham, was deposed and France Albert Rene took over power.
Danny Faure was sworn in to office on Sunday, October 16, becoming the Seychelles’ fourth president since the island nation gained independence from Britain. He took over the mandate of his predecessor President James Michel whose resignation took effect on that day.
Two days after he took office, Faure became the first president of Seychelles to address the National Assembly to give details on his plan of work. The National Assembly, which was elected last September, has for the first time a majority that is not from the president’s party.
The Seychelles’ President has also introduced new legislation to bring more transparency and accountability into the country’s laws.
Although he is pleased with the progress made, Faure said he is not satisfied because “many Seychellois are without homes, the cost of living continue to rise, and the government is still not as I want it to be.”
Faure added, “But all this means you can expect an unrelenting effort from this administration to strengthen our prosperity and make sure that this country is what it can be.”