Voters in Seychelles returned to the polls on Thursday, October 9, 2025, for a decisive presidential runoff between incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan and opposition candidate Patrick Herminie, leader of the long-dominant United Seychelles party. The election follows a closely contested first round that left no clear winner and signaled a possible shift in the country’s political balance.
In last month’s vote, Herminie, a former National Assembly speaker, secured 48.8% of the more than 64,000 ballots cast, outpacing Ramkalawan by over two percentage points. The result positioned him within striking distance of reclaiming power for United Seychelles, which has already regained a parliamentary majority.
“I think the people of Seychelles want a balance of power to get the best deal,” President Ramkalawan told Reuters.
Ramkalawan’s Linyon Demokratik Seselwa coalition lost its majority in parliament in the earlier vote, meaning a victory in the runoff would leave him presiding over a divided government.
Voting began Thursday, October 9, 2025, on outlying islands and for essential workers, while polling stations on the three main islands will open Saturday. Official results are expected on Sunday.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, made history in 2020 when he became the first president from outside the United Seychelles party, formerly known as the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front, since the 1977 coup that followed independence from Britain.
The president has highlighted his administration’s success in steering Seychelles’ economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, promising to use a second five-year term to strengthen social welfare, expand infrastructure, and maintain the nation’s neutrality to attract global investment.
The Indian Ocean archipelago, made up of 115 islands covering 463,000 square miles (1.1 million sq km), is Africa’s wealthiest nation per capita and a popular tourist destination. It is also a focal point for investment and security cooperation from China, India, and Gulf nations. However, Seychelles faces significant challenges, including vulnerability to climate change and one of the world’s highest per-capita rates of heroin use.
Herminie, who was briefly arrested in 2023 on witchcraft charges later dropped, has centered his campaign on restoring United Seychelles’ control of both the presidency and parliament for the first time since 2015. His message has gained traction following endorsements from eliminated candidates, including Marco Francis, who won about 2% of the vote in the first round.
“We needed just 1% to win State House,” Herminie declared at a rally. “That means 500 votes. And today, I’m telling you: we will get those 500 votes and go to State House on October 11.”
Herminie’s campaign pledges include lowering the retirement age, which Ramkalawan previously raised, and cancelling a controversial hotel project that environmentalists argue endangers a UNESCO-listed coral atoll.
