Members of National Assembly leadership attend workshop hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |26 January 2023

A workshop hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) took place from January 23 to 24, 2023, with the intention of developing a roadmap to financial and administrative autonomy through a legislative framework.

In attendance was the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Roger Mancienne; the deputy Speaker, Hon. Gervais Henrie; the leader of government business, Hon. Bernard Georges; the leader of the opposition, Hon. Sebastien Pillay; Chief Whip of the ruling party, Hon. Sandy Arissol; the Clerk of the National Assembly, Tania Isaac; the deputy Clerk, Alexandria Faure; senior legal officer, Imaan Toulon; director of the Office of the Speaker, Genevieve Daniel; and the PR & protocol manager, Angelique Hill.

The workshop was delivered by the head of programmes at the CPA, Matthew Salik, with the assistance and expertise of Huw Williams, head of the Clerk/CEO’s Office at the Scottish Parliament.

The two-day workshop follows the mission of the CPA Small Branches Network, which is the empowerment of small parliaments to overcome national and international challenges through “cooperation, advocacy and the strengthening of parliamentary democracy and good governance”.

Hon. Mancienne launched the workshop and thanked Messrs Salik and Williams for their presence in Seychelles and for their knowledge of the administrative and legal practices needed to facilitate change in a parliamentary context.

Discussions and deliberations took place regarding the future of the National Assembly, and various recommendations were made on the basis of general practices used by various Commonwealth parliaments but with careful consideration of Seychelles’ specific circumstances.

At the conclusion of the workshop Mr Salik noted that the discussions had been fruitful and that the autonomy of parliament has always been at the forefront of the CPA’s values.

In his concluding remarks, Hon. Mancienne thanked Messrs Salik and Williams for their insight, and also to the CPA as an organisation. The Speaker then presented the delegates with a token of appreciation each, before the workshop officially ended.

The CPA Small Branches Network represents small jurisdictions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to identify their particular needs and requirements in parliamentary strengthening, development and cooperation. The Seychelles CPA Branch was formed in 1995 and regularly engages on a bilateral level.

The accompanying photos show highlights of the meeting.

Press release & photos from the National Assembly secretariat