Seychelles president seeks a second term as people vote in African tourist haven

VICTORIA, Seychelles — Voters across the Indian Ocean archipelago gathered Saturday to choose a president and parliament, with President Wavel Ramkalawan seeking a second five-year term in Africa’s smallest country. Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time, and long lines formed at polling stations across the country. The 115-island nation has about 77,000 registered voters as residents weighed a mix of economic recovery, development and sustainability issues ahead of the ballot.

Ramkalawan’s chief rival, Patrick Herminie of the United Seychelles Party, is a veteran lawmaker who served as parliamentary speaker from 2007 to 2016. Electoral authorities said all stations opened on time and voting was proceeding smoothly, with most polls closing after 7 p.m. local time and counting underway as ballots continued to be tallied. Results were expected on Sunday.

Ramkalawan, an Anglican priest who later entered politics, became the first opposition leader since 1976 to defeat the governing party when he won the presidency on his sixth bid in 2020. His party, Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), campaigned on economic recovery, social development and environmental sustainability as Seychelles — a luxury-tourism magnet that has helped lift GDP per capita and expand the middle class — sought to maintain momentum while confronting governance and social challenges.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the presidential vote, the two top contenders will advance to a runoff. Just over 77,000 people are registered to vote in Seychelles, where most residents live on Mahé, home to the capital Victoria. The voting day comes as the country faces ongoing economic and social pressures, including an ongoing national debate over foreign investment and how best to balance development with sovereignty over land and assets.

Beyond the ballot, the race has highlighted broader concerns about the country’s path forward. Activists, just a week before the election, filed a constitutional challenge against the government over a long-term lease for part of Assomption Island to a Qatari company for a luxury hotel development that includes reconstructing an airstrip to facilitate access for international flights. Critics say the deal risks privileging foreign interests over Seychelles’ welfare and sovereignty over its land.

Seychelles’ 390,000 square kilometers of exclusive economic zone and territorial waters make the nation especially vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, according to assessments by the World Bank and the U.N. Sustainable Development Group. The election occurs against a backdrop of climate risk, tourism-dependent revenue, and debates about how to diversify the economy while protecting the archipelago’s fragile ecosystems.

Another simmering issue for voters is the country’s drug crisis. A 2017 U.N. report described Seychelles as a major drug transit route, and the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index noted high heroin addiction rates. Estimates vary, but some analyses put the number of local heroin users around 6,000 in a population of about 120,000, with others suggesting rates could approach 10%. Critics argue that Ramkalawan has not fully contained the problem, while opponents point to governance and policy gaps.

As counting began Sunday, analysts said the election would largely determine the balance between continuity and change in a country seeking to sustain prosperity while addressing social and environmental pressures. Ramkalawan’s victory in 2020 signaled a shift after decades of governing-party dominance, and this vote will test how voters weigh progress against persistent domestic challenges and external pressures in a global tourist hub.