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The candidate of One Seychelles, Alain St.Ange, submitted nomination documents (including the required 500 signatures of persons backing his candidature) for the presidential elections next month to the Seychelles Electoral Commission on Wednesday.
Although four candidates submitted their nomination documents, only three were successfully accepted. Mr. St.Ange, current President of the African Tourism Board, former Minster for Tourism, Culture, Ports & Marine, and a former popular Parliamentarian, is now in the Presidential race alongside veteran politician, Mr. Ramkalawan (who has been vying for the top job unsuccessfully for three decades) and outgoing President, Mr. Danny Faure (who is participating in his first ever presidential election). Mr. Patrick Pillay’s nomination was unfortunately not accepted, on account of “failure to satisfy legal requirements”.
Unlike other political parties, whose supporters flocked to the Electoral Commission in hazardous clusters, One Seychelles leadership insisted on leading by example and not acting in contravention of the health guidelines as issued and frequently emphasized by the Health Authorities. The same sentiment was reflected in the Party’s Convention, which was held last week, where a restricted number of people were permitted into the room and health measures were strictly adhered to.
“Those who are complacent or neglectful with the health of their Seychellois brothers and sisters, particularly when the Country and the world are facing and grappling with the pervasive threat of the deadly COVID-19 virus, would likely be similarly careless with the health and safety of the public if elected into higher office,” said Mr. St. Ange.
He added, “Leaders, or aspiring leaders, should be practicing what they preach and always encouraging their supporters to do the right thing, to do what is best for everyone and not what suits themselves. There is a time and a place for gatherings, but that time is not now. To encourage, whether directly or indirectly, supporters to gather in such numbers, is undeniably reckless, and in poor taste under the circumstances.”
After tendering his nomination documents, Mr. St.Ange stated that the people of Seychelles have an important choice to make in October.
“This choice will depend on whether we are satisfied with the current status of the Country. Every voter needs to ask themselves if the one they have put in power in the past has delivered. If not, then it is time to make a change,” he said.
“Compared to another opposition political party which has expressed their offer for ‘radical change’ to the Country, we want to bring a change that will gradually transform Seychelles. We have experienced radical change during the coup d’état on June 5. We are proposing a real change,” said Mr. St. Ange.
He advocated strongly for the formation of a technocrat-led Government, which would comprise skilled, qualified and experienced young technocrats taking the helm of their respective Ministries and Departments.
Their portfolios would be directly relevant to their areas of expertise, and their appointments would be made on the basis of merit, not favoritism. Their appointments would not be marred by political affiliation, which would be a significant departure from typical Governmental appointments in the past.
