President James Michel has thanked the Seychellois people who voted during the National Assembly elections for exercising their civic rights and expressing their political will.

"Democracy is first and foremost the expression of the will of the people, which gives authority to legislative and executive bodies. All the people who voted were able to clearly indicate who they supported or did not support for the creation of the new National Assembly. The electorate has expressed its choice freely and fairly. And this should be respected," said  President Michel.

"Participation is the key to democracy, and I call on all stakeholders  to participate in future fora where they can make their opinions heard," added the President.

The President also called on the Electoral Commission to accelerate the process of electoral law reform, and to ensure that  all stakeholders participate in this process.

" When the Electoral Commission was created in July this year, it was tasked with reviewing presidential, legislative and other election laws in Seychelles, and matters related to Articles 117 and 118 of the Constitution such as  the funding and expenditure of political parties in the context of election campaigns."

Insisting that the responsibility for initiating and conducting dialogue with all stakeholders in the process of electoral reform lies with the Commission, the President noted that it was of paramount importance for the Commission to educate and keep the people informed of developments as they happen.

"Now that the National Assembly elections are over, the Commission should put every effort into this process and seek the views of all stakeholders, in order to continue reinforcing democracy in our country," said the President.