VICTORIA (Reuters) -Seychelles will begin voting on Thursday in general elections in which incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan and allied lawmakers are looking to block a comeback by the party that dominated the archipelago nation’s politics for four decades.
The idyllic beach destination is Africa’s wealthiest country per capita, with a location in the western Indian Ocean that makes it a target for investment and security cooperation from India, China and Gulf States.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, says he is seeking a second five-year term to build social protections and infrastructure while defending the country’s neutrality to draw investment.
His main rival, United Seychelles’ candidate Patrick Herminie, has said the population of 120,000 is suffering from soaring living costs, declining standards in schools, corruption, and drug abuse, problems he has promised to tackle.
ECONOMIC REBOUND
Over three days, some 73,000 voters will choose from eight presidential candidates and 125 challengers for the 35-seat National Assembly, where Ramkalawan hopes to maintain a majority for his Linyon Demokratik Seselwa coalition.
Results are due on Sunday.
Long one of Africa’s top economic performers thanks to tourism earnings and governance reforms, Seychelles has bounced back strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year it was removed from the EU’s tax blacklist.
Inflation is under 2% and public debt on course to drop below the government’s target of 50% of gross domestic product before 2030, according to the International Monetary Fund.
“We’ve embarked on an ambitious program of taking care of our people,” Ramkalawan told Reuters in an interview, pointing to an increased minimum wage, infrastructure projects and free school meals.
He hopes to build a new hospital and airport and a modern port, while using neutrality to maximise investment.
“We say keep your geopolitics to yourselves. A French warship, an American, British, Chinese, or Indian vessel, all are welcome. If India and China have problems, that is not ours,” Ramkalawan said.
WITCHCRAFT ALLEGATIONS
Herminie, a doctor and former National Assembly speaker, has overcome unusual legal challenges, including his arrest in 2023 for trying to stage a coup using witchcraft. He denied the charges, which were later dropped.
Herminie says the government has presided over spreading corruption, citing the leasing of two islands to companies from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
He told Reuters his party had learned from its 43 years in power, when it faced corruption allegations of its own.
“The party had been in power too long, empires were built inside, and divisions weakened us,” he said.
“We remain a progressive, left-of-centre party, convinced that people should be at the centre of development.”
Other presidential candidates include gospel singer Robert Moumou, entrepreneur Marco Francis, and former tourism minister Alain St Ange.
(Reporting by Gabriel Robert-Gironcelle; Editing by Hereward Holland and Aidan Lewis)
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