Seychelles’ presidential election will go to a runoff after no candidate secured an outright majority in the first round, the country’s electoral commission announced on Sunday.
Opposition leader Patrick Herminie of the United Seychelles (US) party led the polls with 48.8% of the vote, followed closely by incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan of the ruling Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), who garnered 46.4%. Neither surpassed the 50% threshold required for a first-round victory.
The two rivals will now face each other in a decisive second round scheduled for October 9–11, with the winner earning a five-year mandate to lead Africa’s wealthiest nation per capita.
The US party also emerged strongly in the parliamentary vote, winning 15 constituency seats and an additional four through proportional representation, giving it a clear majority in the National Assembly.
LDS, by contrast, secured 11 constituency seats and four proportional seats, putting Ramkalawan’s party behind its main challenger in the legislature.
Nearly 82% of registered voters participated in the first round of voting, which ran from Thursday to Saturday.
The election is being closely watched internationally, given Seychelles’ strategic location in the western Indian Ocean and its role as a hub for investment and security partnerships with China, India, and Gulf nations.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
