Seychelles to hold presidential run-off after vote fails to produce clear winner

Seychelles is set to hold a rerun of its presidential elections between the two main contenders, after no outright winner was announced.

Opposition leader Patrick Herminie received 48.8% of the vote against the incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan who garnered 46.4%, the electoral commission announced.

According to the electoral rules, a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the vote to be declared the winner, and a run-off election has subsequently been scheduled for next week.

Seychelles is Africa's smallest country, a 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean with a population of just over 120,000.

There were eight presidential hopefuls in last week's election.

Ramkalawan is seeking a second term, with his Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) party campaigning on economic recovery, social development and environmental sustainability.

His main challenger Herminie is from the United Seychelles party, which dominated the country's political landscape from 1977 until 2020, when it lost its majority to Ramkalawan's party.

United Seychelles has regained control of the National Assembly, taking 19 out of 35 seats in the parliamentary elections held alongside the presidential vote.

"We are ready for a second round. We start campaigning tomorrow," Herminie said in a televised address.

Public disquiet over the sovereignty and ecological stewardship of Assumption Island, one of the archipelago's most eco-sensitive territories, surfaced in recent days as an electoral touchpoint, following the island's leasing to a foreign hotel developer.

The issue may energise decisive backing from the six trailing presidential candidates and their supporters ahead of the run-off ballot slated for 9-11 October.

Seychelles is renowned for luxury and environmental tourism and is Africa's wealthiest country in terms of average income per person, according to the World Bank.