Seychelles will hold a second round of presidential elections next week after no candidate secured an outright majority in the first round of voting.
The Electoral Commission announced that opposition leader Patrick Herminie received 48.8% of the vote, narrowly ahead of incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan, who polled 46.4%. Under electoral rules, a candidate must secure more than 50% of valid ballots to win outright.
The run-off, set for 9–11 October, will see Herminie, of the United Seychelles party, face Ramkalawan, leader of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS).
Eight candidates contested the presidency in the first round. United Seychelles, which governed the Indian Ocean nation for more than four decades until losing power in 2020, also regained a parliamentary majority in the simultaneous legislative elections, winning 19 of the 35 National Assembly seats.
“We are ready for the second round. Campaigning begins tomorrow,” Herminie said in a televised address after the results were declared.
President Ramkalawan, who is seeking a second term, has campaigned on economic recovery, social development, and environmental sustainability.
One of the most prominent campaign issues has been Assumption Island, an ecologically sensitive outpost leased to a foreign hotel developer. The arrangement has stirred debate over sovereignty and environmental protection, and may influence the positioning of the six eliminated presidential candidates and their supporters in the decisive second round.
Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago with a population of just over 120,000, is Africa’s smallest country. Known globally for its luxury tourism and pristine ecosystems, it also has the highest per capita income on the continent, according to the World Bank.
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