Almasalla news | Arab Tourism Portal News
By : Ashraf Al-Gedawy
After much anticipation, the Seychelles Electoral Commission announced the provisional dates for the holding of the presidential elections in the Republic of Seychelles, namely the 22,23,24 of October 2020.
The looming elections come in the wake of the unprecendented collapse of the Archipelago’s tourism industry following the worldwide spread of COVID-19. With the Seychelles having to close its borders to the world to stem the spread of the virus, many Seychelles" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seychellois are now struggling with poverty and the Country’s fragile economy has taken an enormous hit.
The sitting Government and those before it have pointedly focussed all their resources on strengthening the tourism industry, ignoring their agricultural sector and rendering the Nation primarily dependent on international import for their food produce and basic necessities.
Following the Coup D’etat in 1977, a single party has held the reigns of Government to this day. President Danny Faure’s seat is currently being challenged by veteran politician Rev Ramkalawan, who has been vying for the Top Job for the past 6 elections, and Alain St.Ange, a known and influential figure in the realm of global tourism.
While St.Ange is known globally for his extensive work and experience in the field, and President Faure has had a term to prove himself on a public and influential platform, Rev Ramkalawan is still untested. He has not been successful in his bid for State House for the past six elections, inspiring little confidence in his loyalists that this will be the year he makes it. With Hon Patrick Pillay and other politicians abandoning Rev Ramkalawan mere months after a public show of joining forces prior to the last elections, it would appear that the most likely contenders in the 2020 elections are Faure and St.Ange.
With the tourism industry in dire straits, many are saying who better to save the economy than a recognised tourism expert as St.Ange? However, with the leading party having been in power since 1977, it remains to be seen whether their stronghold has been weakened in the past few years or whether the one-party leadership Seychelles has become accustomed to will continue into 2021.
