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Seychelles’ main opposition leader, Patrick Herminie, has emerged victorious in the country’s presidential election, defeating incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan in a tense runoff that ended years of ruling party dominance.
According to official results released by the Electoral Commission, Herminie secured 52.7% of the vote, while Ramkalawan trailed with 47.3%, marking a stunning political upset in the Indian Ocean island nation.
In his victory speech, Herminie described his triumph as “a new chapter for all Seychellois,” pledging to tackle the nation’s growing economic hardship, improve public services, and restore unity among citizens.
The election went to a run-off after neither candidate won an outright majority in the first round two weeks ago.
A former parliamentary speaker, Herminie was charged with witchcraft in 2023 in what he said was a politically motivated attempt to thwart his presidential ambitions.
The charges were dropped in 2024, paving the way for him to run for office.
“I will be the president of all Seychellois, and I will end divisions by ceasing preferences and giving everyone the opportunity to thrive,” BBC quoted Herminie as saying.
Ramkalawan becomes the latest African incumbent to be voted out of office, following Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera, who lost power last month amid widespread anger over soaring living costs and economic hardship.
Herminie’s party, United Seychelles (US), had already gained momentum ahead of the presidential vote, winning last month’s parliamentary elections with a decisive majority, reclaiming control from Ramkalawan’s Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), which had dominated the legislature since 2020.
In a related development, SaharaReporters also reported how a group of Madagascar soldiers joined thousands of protesters in the capital on Saturday over bad governance.
The security operatives vowed to defy any orders to open fire on civilians.
The latest round of youth-led demonstrations drew massive crowds in what has become one of the largest protests since the movement erupted on September 25 across the Indian Ocean island nation.
As police fired stun grenades and tear gas in a bid to scatter the protesters, a contingent of soldiers marched into the Lake Anosy area, the epicenter of the protest, where they were greeted with thunderous applause and chants of solidarity from demonstrators.
Protesters called out “Thank you!” to the soldiers, some of whom were waving Madagascar flags, the images showed.
