Former Speaker Patrick Herminie Wins Seychelles Presidential Poll

Seychelles former National Assembly Speaker and opposition leader, Patrick Herminie, has won the country’s presidential race, defeating incumbent leader Wavel Ramkalawan in a run-off vote. Herminie won 52.7 per cent of the vote, while Ramkalawan took 47.3 per cent. Herminie represents the United Seychelles party, which led the country for four decades before it lost power in 2020. Herminie’s victory gives his United Seychelles party full control of the government after it also reclaimed a majority in parliament during the first round of the general election last month. The win is also a complete turnaround for Herminie, who in 2023 was arrested on charges of witchcraft that were later dropped. He previously served as speaker of the country’s parliament from 2007 to 2016. In his victory speech, Herminie pledged to lower the cost of living, revive public services and unite the island nation. “The people have spoken,” the 62-year-old said at the headquarters of the electoral commission. “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,” he said. Ramkalawan, who attended the electoral commission’s announcement of the results, congratulated Herminie, who became Seychelles’s sixth president. “I leave with a legacy that makes many presidents blush… I hope President Herminie continues to maintain such a level,” he said. Images published by the Seychelles Nation newspaper showed the two leaders shaking hands after the announcement. Outside the electoral commission headquarters, thousands of Herminie’s supporters erupted in cheers and waved the country’s flag and party banners as they greeted him following his proclamation as the winner, according to videos on social media.