Former speaker Herminie wins the race for president of the Seychelles
Patrick Herminie, the former speaker of the Seychelles parliament, triumphed over President Wavel Ramkalawan in a run-off election, according to official results released on Sunday, thereby reinstating complete control of the archipelago nation’s government to its longstanding ruling party.
Herminie’s victory, securing 52.7% of the vote, comes after his United Seychelles party’s success in the first round of the general election last month, where it regained the parliamentary majority it had lost in 2015.
Seychelles stands as Africa’s wealthiest nation on a per capita basis, situated over 1.2 million square kilometres (463,000 square miles) in the western Indian Ocean. It is not only a prime tourist destination but also an attractive target for investment and security cooperation from China, Gulf nations, and India.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, was elected in 2020, marking the first time a president from outside United Seychelles – previously known as the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front – took office since the coup that occurred one year after the country gained independence from Britain in 1976.
He sought re-election by highlighting his leadership in Seychelles’ economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the enhancement of social protections.
Voters chose Herminie, who charged Ramkalawan with overseeing a surge in corruption and promised to revoke a hotel project authorized by Ramkalawan’s administration, which environmentalists argue jeopardizes a UNESCO-listed coral atoll.
Herminie has committed to reducing the retirement age from 65 to 63 and to enacting the recommendations from a truth and reconciliation commission that investigated human rights violations stemming from a 1977 coup and its consequences.
Even with its economic achievements, the nation of 115 islands ranks as one of the most vulnerable to climate change globally and has one of the highest rates of heroin use per capita.
Herminie, who held the position of speaker from 2007 to 2016, was arrested in 2023 on charges of witchcraft, which were subsequently dropped.
United Seychelles encountered various corruption scandals throughout its 43 years in power. In an interview last month, Herminie noted that the party had been in power for an extended period, leading to a shift in their approach.
