Patrick Herminie secures 52.7% of votes, preventing incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan from securing a second presidential term.
In a decisive run-off election, Patrick Herminie, leader of the opposition in Seychelles, has emerged victorious over the sitting president, Wavel Ramkalawan, as confirmed by the nation’s electoral commission.
Official tallies released early Sunday revealed Herminie garnered 52.7% of the ballots, while Ramkalawan received 47.3%.
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Addressing supporters at the electoral commission’s headquarters, Herminie vowed to reduce living expenses, restore essential public services, and foster national unity.
“The voice of the people is clear,” the 62-year-old declared.
“I am honored by the confidence placed in me. As president, I will serve every Seychellois and work to heal divisions by eliminating favoritism and creating equal opportunities for all,” he added.
Herminie’s triumph hands full governmental authority to his United Seychelles party, which also secured a parliamentary majority in last month’s general elections.
This victory marks a remarkable comeback for Herminie, who faced witchcraft allegations in 2023-charges that were subsequently dismissed. He previously held the position of parliamentary speaker from 2007 to 2016.
Ramkalawan, present during the announcement, extended his congratulations to Herminie, who will become the sixth president of Seychelles.
“I depart with a legacy that many leaders would envy… I trust President Herminie will uphold this standard,” Ramkalawan remarked.
Photographs published by Seychelles Nation captured the two rivals shaking hands following the results declaration.
Outside the commission’s offices, thousands of Herminie’s supporters celebrated enthusiastically, waving national flags and party emblems, as seen in social media footage.
The presidential contest was ultimately decided in a second round after no candidate achieved a majority in the initial vote held two weeks prior. Early voting commenced on Thursday, with the majority casting ballots on Saturday.
Both candidates campaigned vigorously, focusing on pressing concerns such as environmental preservation and the escalating drug addiction crisis in a country renowned as a tourist paradise.
Ramkalawan’s campaign highlighted his stewardship of Seychelles’s economic rebound post-COVID-19 and the expansion of social welfare programs.
However, voters favored Herminie, who criticized Ramkalawan’s administration for widespread corruption and pledged to halt a controversial hotel development project that environmental advocates argue endangers a UNESCO-protected coral atoll.
Among Herminie’s promises are lowering the retirement age from 65 to 63 and implementing recommendations from a truth and reconciliation commission investigating human rights violations linked to the 1977 coup and its aftermath.
With a background in medicine, Herminie formerly led the government’s anti-drug agency and has committed to combating the nation’s severe heroin addiction problem, exacerbated by Seychelles’ location along a drug trafficking corridor between Africa and Asia.
The country’s Agency for Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 individuals use heroin in a population of roughly 120,000, though some sources suggest the number could be as high as 10,000.
Comprising 115 islands, Seychelles is Africa’s wealthiest nation on a per capita basis.
Spanning 1.2 million square kilometers (463,000 square miles) in the western Indian Ocean, it is a sought-after destination for tourists and a focal point for investment and security partnerships involving China, Gulf states, and India.
