Opposition leader Patrick Herminie has won Seychelles’ presidency in a decisive runoff vote, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan with 52.7 percent of the vote, the electoral commission announced on Sunday.
Herminie’s victory followed a tightly contested election that went to a second round after no candidate secured an outright majority in the initial vote two weeks ago.
In his victory speech, Herminie pledged to lower the cost of living, restore public services, and unite the island nation.
“I will be the president of all Seychellois,” he said, vowing to end political divisions and ensure equal opportunity for all citizens.
Ramkalawan, who led Seychelles through the COVID-19 recovery and expanded social protections, conceded defeat and congratulated Herminie on his election victory.
The result marks a political resurgence for Herminie’s United Seychelles party, which also reclaimed a parliamentary majority last month after five years in opposition.
The 2025 election campaign was dominated by concerns over economic hardship, environmental degradation and a growing drug addiction crisis in the Indian Ocean archipelago, which has the highest GDP per capita in Africa but remains vulnerable to climate change and social instability.
Herminie, a former parliamentary speaker and physician, previously headed the country’s anti-drug agency.
His candidacy was nearly derailed in 2023 when he was charged with witchcraft – an allegation he dismissed as politically motivated. The charges were dropped in 2024, clearing the way for his presidential bid.
The outcome reflects a broader Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional trend of incumbents losing power amid rising public frustration.
Ramkalawan joins Malawi’s Lazarus Chakwera as the latest SADC leader to be voted out in recent weeks. Chakwera lost to Peter Mutharika in Malawi general elections held on 16 September.
JN/APA