President James Michel of the Seychelles has been re-elected for third term
2015 Presidential Election Results
James Michel- Parti Lepep 50.15% [31,512 votes]
Wavel Ramkalawan- Seychelles National Party 49.85% [31,319 votes]
aTP- Arab tourism portal- Here is an extract of President Michel’s address to the Nation, broadcast live on SBC television immediately following the result this morning:
“Today the people have spoken. Today the people made their choice. The people have said that they wish that I continue on the path that I have commenced…for me to continue to lead Seychelles forward in stability, peace, and prosperity… I would like to thank all my supporters from Parti Lepep from the bottom of my heart for their support. At this point in time, it is necessary, more than ever, that we continue to create more unity in our country. Today more than ever we need to work together as Seychellois, we need to ensure we bring our people together, because after all we are Seychellois… The President that has been elected is the President of all Seychellois and we all need to work together for our Seychelles. ”
"There will be problems in the Seychelles." These are the worlds of the opposition leader after today’s presidential election. President Michel has won the presidential election in the Seychelles with a narrow 50.15% or 196 majority of the votes. President James Michel had 31,512 votes with thirteen electoral districts and opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan had 31,319 votes with twelve electoral districts.
The biggest industry in the Seychelles is travel and tourism and a peaceful Seychelles is essential for this industry to flourish. Today the Republic of the Seychelles held its presidential election, and the current president, James Michel, won. The tourism trade were shocked to hear in the opposition campaign programs about their proposal for cutting the numbers of the expatriate workforce because they had been fighting to get recruits from overseas to ensure their establishments were adequately staffed.
The official result were announced shortly in Seychelles in the capital city of Victoria. At 13.30h a motorcade parade is arranged to celebrate the election.
Opposition leader demanded a re-count.
He was concerned about the division of the people and urged international observers to put his concerns into their reports. He said his country is divided 50/50. He said there was no winner in this election.
Winning president James Michel was talking about uniting the people of the Seychelles.
Michel, 71, who was seeking a third five-year term, was forced into a second-round run-off against Ramkalawan after falling short of an outright majority in the first round in early December, when he won just under 48 percent. He faced the first serious challenge to his decade-long rule.
Ramkalawan, 54, an Anglican priest who took 35 percent of the vote on his fifth run at the country’s top job, had the backing of the second runner-up, Patrick Pillay, a former foreign and health minister, who won almost 15 percent in the first round.
Michel won elections in 2004 with 54 percent and in 2011 with 55 percent.
Immediate reactions from a number of senior tourism stakeholders was one of great relief and satisfaction, that the economic course charted under President Michel during his last two terms was now certain to continue.
The opposition’s position in this regard was both confused and unclear, with a number of sentiments expressed during the campaign clearly bound to raise questions over the way forward, vis a vis investments, to cut the foreign workforce and the proposition to close the island’s Tourism Board.
Wavel may also have paid the price in the end for not appearing in person when the election results in 2011 were declared, by many even among his supporters causing consternation at the time, and for having pulled out his party from the last parliamentary elections, leaving the current parliament with but one opposition member though not from the SNP. It is now left for history to judge what and where it went wrong for him. Wavel Ramkalawan has changed his running mate in his bid for the presidency. In previous elections he ran with Annette Georges, then with Nicholas Prea and now in 2015 with Roger Mancienne.
The result has also dealt a devastating blow to the breakaway faction of Parti LEPEP, named Lalyans Seselwa under former Minister Patrick Pillay, who gambled high and in the end lost nevertheless in his effort to unseat President Michel and the ruling party.
Seychelles President James Michel and opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan urged voters Friday to respect results as polling closed and counting began in an unprecedented second round run-off on the Indian Ocean archipelago.
