Seychelles presidential election heads to runoff as no candidate wins majority

VICTORIA -- The Electoral Commission of Seychelles announced Sunday that the country will proceed to a runoff presidential election, as no candidate secured more than half of the votes in the first round.

The results of the first round of the Seychelles presidential election were released Sunday. Among the eight candidates, Patrick Herminie of the United Seychelles, the country's main opposition party, received 48.8 percent of the votes, while incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychellois Democratic Union (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa -- LDS) garnered 46.4 percent.

According to the electoral commission, the runoff will take place from Oct 9 to 11.

The Indian Ocean archipelago, comprising 115 islands, began voting on Thursday for residents of outlying islands and essential workers, while polling stations on the three main islands opened on Saturday. A total of eight candidates contested the presidency.

Under the Constitution of Seychelles, the presidential term is five years. A candidate who secures more than half of the votes in the first round is declared the winner. If no candidate achieves this majority, the two leading contenders advance to a second round of voting.

On the same day, the electoral commission released the results of the National Assembly election. The United Seychelles won 19 seats, while the LDS secured 15.

"I would like to thank the people of Seychelles for making the very wise decision to revisit the percentage of representation in the National Assembly and to give me that support of almost 49 percent so that I can go into a second round," Herminie said shortly after the official announcement of results.

For his part, Ramkalawan congratulated the United Seychelles for winning a majority in the National Assembly, saying "it is my second time going into a second round."

"I pray only for peace, that we conduct a civilized campaign, and I look forward to this next fight," he added.

Members of the National Assembly, the country's unicameral legislature, serve a five-year term. The assembly has up to 35 members, including 26 directly elected representatives and nine selected through proportional representation.