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**Seychelles Awaits Results of Tight Presidential Run-Off**
**Victoria, Seychelles** – The island nation of Seychelles is on edge awaiting results from a closely contested presidential run-off election held Saturday. Incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa party is battling to secure a second five-year term against opposition leader Patrick Herminie of the United Seychelles party.
Polls have now closed after opening Saturday morning, with the final count expected Sunday. The election marks a critical juncture for the country of 120,000, potentially returning the United Seychelles party to power after it was ousted in 2020, ending its 43 years in charge.
The race was forced into a run-off after neither candidate secured a majority in the first round two weeks ago. Herminie narrowly led that initial vote with 48.8 percent, compared to Ramkalawan’s 46.4 percent.
Several key issues dominated the campaign. A controversial 70-year land lease agreement granting a Qatari company permission to build a luxury resort on Assumption Island for $20 million became a major point of contention. Environmental groups have challenged the project, citing threats to the delicate ecosystem near the UNESCO-protected Aldabra atoll. Herminie has pledged to cancel the deal if elected, while Ramkalawan defends it as a crucial investment for the Seychelles’ tourism-dependent economy.
The candidates have also clashed on solutions for the country’s pervasive drug addiction crisis, with critics accusing both men of failing to adequately address the problem, which sees roughly 10 percent of the working-age population battling heroin addiction.
Ramkalawan, who made history in 2020 as the first opposition leader to win the presidency, faces a tough challenge from Herminie, a former parliamentary speaker with significant experience in the national government. The winner will lead Africa’s smallest, but wealthiest nation on a per capita basis through mounting challenges, including climate change and protecting sovereignty.
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