Former Seychelles parliament speaker Patrick Herminie has defeated President Wavel Ramkalawan in a run-off election, official results showed on Sunday, restoring full control of the country’s government to its long-time ruling party.
Herminie’s win with 52.7% of the vote follows his United Seychelles party’s triumph in the first round of the general election last month, when it reclaimed the majority in parliament.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, was elected in 2020.
Herminie has pledged to lower the retirement age from 65 to 63 and implement recommendations from a truth and reconciliation commission that examined human rights abuses related to a 1977 coup and its aftermath.
He served as speaker from 2007 to 2016, was arrested in 2023 on charges of witchcraft that were later dropped.
Reuters/Hauwa M.