Victoria – Former parliament speaker Patrick Herminie has won Seychelles’ presidential election, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan in a closely contested run-off. Official results released on Sunday showed Herminie securing 52.7 percent of the vote, marking the return of the United Seychelles party to full control of government.
The victory follows the party’s earlier success in last month’s general election, where it regained the parliamentary majority it lost nearly a decade ago. Herminie’s win signals a major political shift for the Indian Ocean archipelago, which had been governed by Ramkalawan’s party since 2020.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, made history four years ago as the first leader from outside the long-ruling United Seychelles, formerly known as the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front. His campaign this year focused on economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to expand social protections.
However, many voters turned to Herminie, who accused the outgoing president of allowing corruption to thrive and pledged to reverse a controversial hotel project approved by Ramkalawan’s administration. Environmentalists have argued the project threatens a coral atoll designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Herminie, who served as National Assembly Speaker from 2007 to 2016, has promised to lower the retirement age from 65 to 63 and implement the recommendations of a truth and reconciliation commission investigating human rights violations linked to the 1977 coup.
Seychelles, a nation of 115 islands spread across the western Indian Ocean, remains Africa’s wealthiest country per capita but faces rising challenges from climate change and drug abuse.
Herminie’s political comeback comes two years after he was arrested on allegations of witchcraft, charges that were later dropped. Despite the United Seychelles party’s history of corruption scandals during its 43-year rule, Herminie has said the party has reformed and is ready to chart a new course for the country.
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