Seychelles to hold rerun presidential election as no candidate secures 50%

With no outright winner, Seychelles will hold a rerun presidential election after the country’s two main contenders secured below 50 percent of the votes, the electoral authority said.

According to official results on Sunday, incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan gained 46.4 percent of the vote while opposition figure Patrick Herminie received 48.8 percent, according to The Associated Press news agency.

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The electoral authority did not announce when the rerun election is expected to be held.

While early voting began on Thursday, most people voted on Saturday.

The United Seychelles party, led by Herminie, dominated the country before losing power five years ago. It was the governing party from 1977 to 2020.

In an attempt to prevent United Seychelles from returning to power, Ramkalawan is seeking a second term to lead the country, with his party, the Linyon Domokratik Seselwa, campaigning on economic recovery, social development, and environmental sustainability.

However, opposition to Ramkalawan’s party has been growing in the lead-up to the election.

Activists filed a constitutional case against the government a week before the election, to challenge a recent decision to issue a long-term lease for part of Assomption Island, the country’s largest, to a Qatari company for a luxury hotel development, according to AP.

Included in the lease was the reconstruction of an airstrip to facilitate access for international flights.

But the agreement ignited widespread criticism that it favours foreign interests over Seychelles’ extended welfare and sovereignty.

Another concern for voters was over a growing heroin crisis. According to independent analysts, an estimated 6,000 people out of Seychelles’ population of 12,000 use the drug.

Seychelles, a territory spread across 390,000 square kilometres (150,580 square miles) is especially vulnerable to climate change due to rising sea levels.

Still, the smallest African country has become synonymous with luxury and environmental travel, which has made Seychelles one of the richest countries in Africa by gross domestic product per capita, according to the World Bank.