Seychelles votes in closely contested presidential run-off election

African land federation decides its aboriginal arsenic Wavel Ramkalawan seeks a 2nd word against Patrick Herminie.

Voters successful Seychelles person been casting their ballots successful a tightly fought statesmanlike run-off betwixt incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan and absorption person Patrick Herminie.

Polls opened successful the African land federation connected Saturday, with results expected connected Sunday.

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The predetermination volition find whether Ramkalawan of the governing Linyon Demokratik Seselwa enactment secures a 2nd five-year word oregon Herminie’s United Seychelles enactment returns to powerfulness aft losing power 5 years ago.

The United Seychelles party, led by Herminie, was the governing enactment betwixt 1977 and 2022, earlier losing power.

It regained crushed successful past month’s parliamentary elections, winning 15 of 26 seats.

Neither campaigner won outright successful the archetypal circular 2 weeks ago.

Herminie led with 48.8 percent of the ballot compared with Ramkalawan’s 46.4 percent, forcing a last circular run-off successful the federation of 120,000 people.

Early voting began connected Thursday astatine peculiar locations including aged attraction homes, schools and respective outer islands. Main polling stations opened aft 7am (03:00 GMT) connected Saturday for the much than 77,000 registered voters.

Several contentious issues person dominated this electoral cycle.

A arguable onshore lease has emerged arsenic a cardinal run flashpoint, with the authorities granting a Qatari institution a 70-year statement to physique a luxury edifice connected Assumption Island for $20m.

Environmental groups filed a ineligible situation to halt the project, arguing it threatens a fragile ecosystem adjacent the UNESCO-protected Aldabra atoll, location to 400 unsocial species.

Herminie has pledged to cancel the edifice improvement if elected, portion besides promising to little the status property and trim nationalist transport costs. Ramkalawan, the incumbent, has defended the Qatar woody arsenic a indispensable concern for the tourism-dependent economy.

Drug addiction has besides dominated elector concerns. The state faces 1 of the world’s highest rates of heroin use, with an estimated 10 percent of working-age residents struggling with addiction. Critics accidental some candidates failed to adequately code the situation during their clip successful government.

Ramkalawan, a erstwhile Anglican priest, became the archetypal absorption person to triumph the presidency successful 2020, ending United Seychelles’ 43-year clasp connected power. His hostile Herminie served arsenic parliamentary talker and antecedently chaired the nationalist cause prevention agency.

The victor volition pb Africa’s smallest and wealthiest federation successful per capita presumption done mounting challenges including clime vulnerability and protecting sovereignty amid competing planetary interests.