Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan speaks during the 'Summit of the Future', ahead of the General Debate of the 79th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 22 September 2024. The Summit of the Future will be held from 22 to 23 September, bringing together world leaders to address critical global governance challenges. The first day of the General Debate will take place on 24 September, during a session which opened on 10 September under the theme 'Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations'. EPA/OLGA FEDROVA In the first round last month, Patrick Herminie, a former National Assembly speaker from the United Seychelles party, outpaced President Wavel Ramkalawan by over 2 percentage points with 48.8% of the more than 64,000 ballots cast.
Seychelles is Africa's wealthiest country per capita, located across 1.2 million kilometres (463,000 square miles) in the western Indian Ocean and a prime tourist destination as well as a target for investment from, and security cooperation with, China, Gulf nations and India.
The nation of 115 islands is, however, also among the world’s most climate vulnerable, and has one of the highest per-capita rates of heroin use.
ELECTION COULD PRODUCE DIVIDED GOVERNMENT
Voting will begin on the outlying islands and for some essential workers on Thursday, with polling stations on the three main islands opening on Saturday. Results are due on Sunday.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, came to power in 2020, becoming the first president from outside United Seychelles - formerly the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front - since a coup one year after independence from Britain in 1976.
He has touted his management of Seychelles' economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he needs a second five-year term to build social protection and infrastructure while defending the country's neutrality to draw investment.
His Linyon Demokratik Seselwa coalition lost its parliamentary majority in last month's vote, meaning he would preside over a divided government should he win.
"I think the people of Seychelles want a balance of power to get the best deal," Ramkalawan told Reuters.
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE BOOSTED BY ENDORSEMENTS
Herminie, who was arrested in 2023 on charges of witchcraft that were later dropped, is aiming to restore United Seychelles' control of both the presidency and parliament for the first time since 2015.
His campaign has been boosted by endorsements from eliminated candidates, including Marco Francis, who received around 2% of the vote in the first round.
"We needed just 1% to win State House," Herminie told supporters 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."
His platform includes lowering the retirement age that Ramkalawan raised and cancelling a hotel project environmentalists say threatens a UNESCO-listed coral atoll.
(Editing by Aaron Ross and Ed Osmond)