VICTORIA, Seychelles – The Seychelles presidential race will head to a runoff after opposition leader Patrick Herminie edged ahead of incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan in a tightly contested first round, the electoral commission announced on Sunday.
Herminie, who leads the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, narrowly missing the 50% threshold required for an outright win.
Ramkalawan, of the ruling Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), trailed closely with 46.4%.
The two will now face off in a decisive second round scheduled for October 9–11, with the winner set to secure a five-year mandate.
The outcome marks a dramatic political shift in the Indian Ocean nation, long dominated by the US party before Ramkalawan’s 2020 victory ended its four-decade grip on power.
The latest vote suggests momentum may be swinging back toward Herminie, whose party also gained control of the legislature.
According to official results, US captured 15 constituency seats and four proportional seats in the National Assembly, clinching a clear majority.
LDS won 11 constituency seats and four proportional seats, leaving the president’s party weakened ahead of the runoff.
Voter participation was high, with nearly 82% of registered citizens turning out during the three-day ballot held from Thursday to Saturday.
The runoff is expected to be fiercely contested, as Ramkalawan fights to extend his presidency and Herminie seeks to engineer a comeback for a party that once defined Seychellois politics.
