Voters in Seychelles head to the polls on Thursday for general elections in which President Wavel Ramkalawan is seeking a second five-year term, buoyed by the archipelago’s strong economic recovery and his promise to expand social protections.
Over the three-day vote, about 73,000 registered voters will choose among eight presidential contenders and 125 candidates for the 35-seat National Assembly. Results are expected on Sunday.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, is running on the record of his Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) coalition, which ended United Seychelles’ four-decade rule in 2020.
He has pledged to raise living standards by expanding infrastructure, building a new hospital and airport, modernizing the main port, and strengthening social protections such as free school meals and higher minimum wages.
The Indian Ocean nation of 120,000 people has rebounded from the COVID-19 downturn, with inflation under 2% and public debt projected to fall below 50% of GDP before 2030, according to the IMF.
The country was also removed from the European Union’s tax blacklist last year, reinforcing its reputation as one of Africa’s most resilient economies.
Ramkalawan has also positioned Seychelles as a neutral hub for investment and maritime security. “A French warship, an American, British, Chinese, or Indian vessel, all are welcome. If India and China have problems, that is not ours,” he told Reuters.
His main challenger, Patrick Herminie of United Seychelles, argues that citizens face rising living costs, failing schools, corruption, and widespread drug abuse. A physician and former parliamentary speaker, Herminie has pledged to confront these issues and criticized the leasing of islands to companies from Qatar and the UAE.
Herminie’s campaign has been overshadowed by a 2023 arrest on allegations of plotting a coup using witchcraft, charges he denied and which were later dropped.
He now insists United Seychelles has learned from its long period in power, saying, “The party had been in power too long, empires were built inside, and divisions weakened us. We remain a progressive, left-of-centre party, convinced that people should be at the centre of development.”
Other presidential hopefuls include gospel singer Robert Moumou, entrepreneur Marco Francis, and former tourism minister Alain St Ange.
The election will determine whether Ramkalawan can consolidate his reforms and maintain LDS dominance or whether United Seychelles, once the country’s political powerhouse, stages a comeback.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
