The electoral commission said on Sunday that Seychelles’ presidential election will advance to a runoff after no candidate secured an outright victory in the first round, setting up a contest between opposition leader Patrick Herminie and incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan.
Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa‘s wealthiest country per capita.
The western Indian Ocean archipelago is a magnet for investment and security cooperation with China, Gulf nations and India.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, says he is seeking a second five-year term to build social protections and infrastructure while defending the country’s neutrality to draw investment.
His main rival, Herminie, has said the population of 120,000 is suffering from soaring living costs, declining standards in schools, corruption, and drug abuse, problems he has promised to tackle.
Herminie, head of the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.
No One Could Surpass 50% Threshold
Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory in the first round of the presidential election.
The US party also made significant gains in the National Assembly, winning 15 constituency seats and an additional four seats through proportional representation, giving it a clear parliamentary majority.
LDS won 11 constituency seats and four proportional seats, leaving the ruling party behind its main rival in the legislative chamber.
In the presidential race, the two front-runners will now face off in a decisive second round scheduled to be held from October 9 to 11.
The winner will be handed a five-year mandate.
Nearly 82% of registered voters participated in the first round, which was held from Thursday to Saturday, the electoral commission said.
Long one of Africa’s top economic performers thanks to tourism earnings and governance reforms, Seychelles has bounced back strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year it was removed from the EU’s tax blacklist.
(With inputs from Reuters)
