Seychelles’ opposition leader, Patrick Herminie, has won the country’s presidential run-off election, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan in a closely contested race marked by debates over the economy, environmental protection, and foreign influence.
According to official results released by the Electoral Commission on Sunday, Herminie secured 52.7 percent of the vote, while Ramkalawan garnered 47.3 percent, bringing an end to the incumbent’s five-year tenure.
In his victory speech, Herminie promised to tackle the nation’s growing economic and social challenges, pledging to reduce the cost of living, improve public services, and unite the archipelago’s 120,000 citizens.
“I will be the president of all Seychellois,” Herminie declared. “I will end divisions by eliminating favoritism and giving every citizen a fair chance to thrive.”
Seychelles, an Indian Ocean island nation with the highest per capita income in Africa around $18,000, according to the World Bank—faces mounting issues such as climate change vulnerability, rising living costs, and one of the continent’s worst heroin addiction crises.
Herminie’s victory marks the return of his party, United Seychelles, which dominated national politics from independence in 1976 until 2020. The party also secured 15 of 26 parliamentary seats in last month’s legislative elections, consolidating its renewed political strength.
Outgoing President Ramkalawan, who led the opposition for over two decades before winning the presidency in 2020, congratulated Herminie, saying:
“I leave with a legacy that makes many presidents blush. I hope President Herminie continues to uphold the same standards.”
A physician by profession, Herminie previously headed Seychelles’ Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation, where he worked to combat the country’s heroin epidemic. Official data shows that between 5,000 and 6,000 people around 5 percent of the population are heroin users, though some estimates put the number closer to 10,000.
Herminie’s campaign also gained traction over his opposition to a controversial 70-year lease of Assumption Island to Qatar for a luxury resort project featuring a private airstrip. The deal sparked national outrage after photos circulated online showing construction damage near Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage site home to giant tortoises and rare coconut crabs.
He has vowed to cancel the Qatari lease, accusing Doha of interfering in Seychelles’ politics. “Qatari companies have funded the ruling party’s campaign with millions of dollars to secure the project,” Herminie alleged, adding that he had written to Qatari authorities to respect Seychelles’ sovereignty.
Herminie, once charged with “witchcraft” in 2023 in what he described as a politically motivated case later dismissed, now becomes Seychelles’ sixth president since independence from Britain in 1976.
The new administration faces urgent challenges, including tackling climate change, environmental degradation, and economic inequality in a nation where three-quarters of the population lives on Mahé Island, home to the capital, Victoria.
