Seychelles opposition leader Bernard Georges urged his country to look to India as an example during an official visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi [1].

The call for emulation suggests a desire for the Seychelles to adopt governance and development models that manage political divisions through social cohesion. By highlighting India's ability to maintain stability across a diverse population, Georges signaled a potential shift in how the Seychelles approaches its own internal political friction.

Georges praised India's "unity in diversity" during the visit, which took place in early June 2024 [1, 2]. He said that India's model offers a way to address the political divisions currently present within the Seychelles [2].

"Seychelles should look to India as an example," Georges said [1].

The visit coincided with a significant milestone in Indian political history. On June 10, 2024, Narendra Modi became India's longest-serving continuously elected prime minister [3]. In response to this achievement, the Union Cabinet passed a seven-point resolution praising Modi for protecting India's interests [4].

Georges said that India's approach to governance and development cooperation serves as a source of political inspiration for the Seychelles [1, 2]. He suggested that the island nation could benefit from studying the strategies India uses to integrate various cultural, and political identities into a single national framework [2].

"India's 'unity in diversity' offers a model for our own political divisions," Georges said [2].

“"Seychelles should look to India as an example."”

This endorsement of India's governance model by a high-ranking opposition figure in the Seychelles reflects India's growing soft power in the Indian Ocean region. By positioning itself as a blueprint for stability and diversity, India strengthens its strategic partnerships and development influence in small island nations seeking alternatives to Western or Chinese administrative models.