Photo: Patrick Joubert, Seychelles News Agency via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
VICTORIA, Seychelles, The Seychelles Law Commission on Monday presented President Patrick Herminie with a commemorative edition of the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles, gathering three decades of constitutional amendments into a single, self-contained reference volume for the country’s 50th independence year.
The presentation took place at State House in Victoria. Chief Justice Rony Govinden, who chairs the Law Commission, was accompanied by fellow commissioners and the director of the Commission. He handed the President the bound edition and described it as the result of extensive work by the Commission and a comprehensive reference document containing every constitutional amendment made since the Constitution came into force in 1993. The volume is designed to allow researchers, jurists and lawyers making reference to the document to see the historical legislative changes that have happened within the Constitution.
“This is a special edition because it contains all the amendments that have taken place since 1993 to date,” Chief Justice Govinden said. “It’s a self-contained document. It is especially to be noted that within the document, wherever a provision has been changed through amendments or repeal, it is specifically provided.” The edition is expected to benefit legal practitioners, academics, researchers, students, and members of the public seeking to understand the evolution of Seychelles’ supreme law over the past three decades.
The publication sits alongside an ongoing statutory consolidation exercise. Under the Law Commission Act, 2022, the Commission is empowered to prepare revised editions of the laws of Seychelles, and the Attorney General has set a special revision date directing the Commission to produce the revised edition of the Constitution as at 1 June 2026. The most recent consolidated text incorporates the Twelfth Amendment Act, 2025 (Act 6 of 2025), which came into force on 4 July 2025.
The commemorative presentation comes amid a wider regional moment for constitutional practice in small African states. Comparative tracking by ConstitutionNet notes that across Africa in 2025 most constitutional change occurred through targeted amendments rather than wholesale replacements, with Guinea the only country to adopt a new constitution in the year. The Commonwealth’s Small States Bulletin 2025, released under the theme “Stronger Together,” highlights how small member states, including several in Africa, are increasingly consolidating institutional reforms through amendment rather than re-founding exercises. The Seychelles approach, anchoring reform inside a single published reference volume, sits inside that pattern.
The Law Commission’s own remit is wider than constitutional consolidation. Its membership includes the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal, the Attorney General, a representative of the National Assembly, two Attorneys-at-Law nominated in consultation with the legal profession, and the director of the Commission. Its principal functions are consolidating, revising and publishing the laws of Seychelles, reviewing legislation to ensure relevance to the country’s changing needs, considering legal reforms, scrutinising draft Bills and subsidiary legislation, conducting post-legislative reviews, and publishing the Seychelles Law Reports.
The presentation of the commemorative Constitution reflects the Commission’s ongoing commitment to improving access to legal information and preserving Seychelles’ constitutional history for future generations. For President Herminie’s government, the volume also functions as a public reference for any future constitutional review process, allowing ministers, MPs, and the public to work from the same consolidated text when debating reform.
Sources cited: Seychelles Law Commission. Law Commission Act, 2022 (Seychelles). Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles (SeychellesLII). ConstitutionNet: Year in Constitution-Building 2025. Commonwealth Small States Bulletin 2025: Stronger Together.
Source: SN
