Seychelles Presidential Race Heads to Run-Off as No Clear Winner Emerges

Seychelles will head to a presidential run-off after none of the candidates secured the required majority in last week’s election.

The Electoral Commission announced that opposition candidate Patrick Herminie received 48.8% of the vote, while incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan followed closely with 46.4%.

Under the country’s electoral law, a winner must achieve more than 50% of the vote, prompting the commission to schedule a second round of voting for next week.

Seychelles, Africa’s smallest nation, is a 115-island chain in the Indian Ocean with a population of just over 120,000. Eight candidates contested the presidency this year.

President Ramkalawan, seeking a second term under his Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) party, has been campaigning on promises of economic recovery, social welfare, and sustainable development. His rival Herminie, representing the United Seychelles party, is attempting to reclaim political dominance after the party lost its majority in 2020 following decades in power.

In a parallel vote for the National Assembly, United Seychelles reclaimed ground by winning 19 out of 35 seats.

“We are prepared for the second round, and campaigning begins tomorrow,” Herminie said during a televised address.

One of the contentious issues influencing the campaign has been the leasing of Assumption Island—a fragile ecological site—to a foreign hotel developer, sparking public debate about sovereignty and environmental protection.

The stance taken by the six eliminated candidates and their supporters could prove decisive in the run-off scheduled for 9–11 October.

Seychelles, best known as a luxury tourism hotspot, also holds the distinction of being Africa’s wealthiest country in terms of per capita income, according to the World Bank.

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