Seychelles’ main opposition leader, Patrick Herminie, has been elected president of the island nation, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan in a run-off vote, the country’s electoral commission has announced.
The run-off followed a first round of voting two weeks earlier in which no candidate secured an outright majority. Herminie won 52.7 per cent of the vote against Ramkalawan’s 47.3 per cent, clinching a narrow but decisive victory that ended the incumbent’s five-year rule.
Herminie’s United Seychelles (US) party also reclaimed a parliamentary majority in last month’s general election, giving him full control of government for the first time in five years.
"The people have spoken," he said at the electoral commission headquarters.
"I am deeply humbled by the trust that the people have placed in me. I will be the president of all Seychellois, and I will end divisions by ceasing preferences and giving everyone the opportunity to thrive."
Political comeback
The result marks a remarkable political comeback for the 62-year-old physician and former Speaker of Parliament, who was arrested in 2023 on charges of witchcraft after authorities linked him to alleged ritual practices.
Herminie had dismissed the case as politically motivated, and prosecutors later dropped the charges last year — clearing the way for his presidential bid.
Ramkalawan has since conceded defeat and congratulated Herminie, with images published by the Seychelles Nation showing the two leaders shaking hands after the results were declared.
"I leave with a legacy that makes many presidents blush... I hope President Herminie continues to maintain such a level," said Ramkalawan.
Despite being Africa’s wealthiest nation per capita, Seychelles continues to grapple with high living costs, inequality, and a deepening drug crisis, factors that have fuelled voter frustration in recent years.
Both Herminie and Ramkalawan campaigned on promises to fight corruption, protect the environment, and address the country’s worsening drug problem.
While Ramkalawan urged voters to back his record on economic recovery and social protection following the Covid-19 pandemic, Herminie accused him of tolerating corruption and pledged sweeping reforms.
Herminie has also promised to lower the retirement age from 65 to 63 and to act on the findings of a truth and reconciliation inquiry into human rights abuses linked to the 1977 coup.
