People in Seychelles voted in presidential and parliamentary elections which spanned across three days. The polls opened on the 22nd of October with voting taking place in outer islands, mainly for employees of hotels or the island management authority. Essential workers such as hospital and nursing staff also voted on Thursday. More than 74,000 registered to take part in the polls and over 75% showed up to vote.
What Happened In The Elections?
Reverend Wavel Ramkalawan, who was narrowly defeated in the 2015 elections and is running for president for the sixth time, won with a 54.9% score against the incumbent Danny Faure who had 43.5% of votes in the presidential polls. This is the first presidential win for his party, the Seychelles National Party (SNP), in the four decades since Seychelles became an independent nation. The United Seychelles party had been in power since 1977.
“Faure and I are good friends. And an election does not mean the end of one’s contribution to one’s motherland, In this election, there were no losers, there were no winners.“ Ramkalawan said in his victory speech.”
What’s Next?
Restoring and boosting tourism in the archipelago nation of 115 islands, as well as diversifying revenue sources could be a priority task for the elected president and new members of parliament. Seychelles has recorded a very low number of visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bottomline
In a time where tension and political unrests are eroding the geopolitics in Africa, Seychelles sets itself apart as a model democracy on the African continent. The 2019 Democracy Index, by the Economist Intelligence Unit, classifies Seychelles and Mauritius as two of the only full democracies on the African continent. This was reflected, without reserve, in the conduct and outcome of the polls. The election was widely considered fair by the international community.
“The United States and other diplomatic mission’s election watchers witnessed an orderly and free voting process conducted in a professional manner by election officials,” the US Department of State said in a statement.
