Seychelles: candidates ready
by Polls Africa
Published October 2020
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The Republic of Seychelles went to polls on October 22 for its presidential and legislative elections. Seychelles decided to host the two polls concurrently due to financial constraints as the country has suffered economically with loss of revenue from tourists thanks to Covid-19 pandemic. The constitution provides for a second-round of voting if none of the candidates obtains above 50 percent of the votes.
In Summary
Seychelles is an island country in the Indian Ocean. With a population of roughly 94,367, it has the smallest population of any sovereign African country. The country consists of 115 islands. Its capital and largest city, Victoria.
Seychelles elects on national level the president and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. Seychelles, famed for maintaining free and fair elections, has a two-party system with two dominant political parties, People’s Party and Seychelles National Party.
The Candidates
Among the contenders in the 2020 elections was incumbent President, Danny Faure of the United Seychelles Party who was running as a candidate in his first presidential elections. Faure assumed office in 2016 following former President James Michel’s abrupt resignation. Another was Rev Wavel Ramkalawan for the opposition coalition Linyon Demoktratik Seselwa (LDS).
The coalition is made up of the main opposition parties namely the Seychelles National Party, the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy and the Seychelles United Party. The third candidate was the former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Alain St.Ange of the One Seychelles Party.
2015 presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Seychelles between 3 and 5 December 2015. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a second round was held between 16 and 18 December. Incumbent President James Michel was re-elected, defeating long-time opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan by just 193 votes in the second round. Michel had received 48% of the vote in the first round, necessitating a run off.
Chronology of Presidents
| * | Presidents | Bio |
|---|---|---|
 | Incumbent Danny Faure | Danny Faure, born 8 May 1962, has been President of Seychelles since 16 October 2016. Faure served as Vice President of Seychelles from 2010 to 2016. In 2006, he was appointed as Minister of Finance by former president James Michel. He became Vice President on 1 July 2010, while retaining the finance portfolio. In September 2016 President James Michel announced his resignation effective on 16 October, and transfer power to Vice President Faure. Faure, a member of United Seychelles Party, was accordingly sworn in on 16 October 2016. |
 | 3rd President James Michel | James Alix Michel was the President of Seychelles for 12 years from from 2004 to 2016. Michel served as Vice-President for nearly eight years, beginning in August 1996. In July 2004 his predecessor, President France-Albert René Michel stepped down paving way for Michel to become president. In the July 2006 presidential election Michel emerged the winner taking 53.7% of the vote. He was sworn in for his new term on 1 August 2006. Michel was reelected in May 2011 with 55.4% of the vote. In the December 2015 presidential elections Michel narrowly defeated opposition leader, Wavel Ramkalawan in a run-off by a margin of less than 200 votes. Less than a year into his third term Michel resigned, in October 2016 October and was succeeded by his Vice President Danny Faure. |
 | 2nd President France-Albert René | France-Albert René was the second and longest serving President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004, for 27 years. René formerly joined politics in 1964 when he formed the Seychelles People's United Party, the forerunner to today's Seychelles People's Party. In 1976, he became the country's prime minister under first President James Mancham. René took over power in June 1977 in a coup d'état. René's party was the sole legal political party in the country from 1979 to 1993, which allowed him to win presidential elections in 1979, 1984, and 1989. Multiparty democracy commenced around 1993, but René won in that year, in 1998 and in 2001. On 14 July 2004 after 27 years in power, René stepped down in favour of Vice-President James Michel. He died on 27 February 2019 aged 83 years. |
 | 1st President James Mancham | Sir James Richard Marie Mancham was the first President of Seychelles from 1976 to 1977. Pre-independence from Britain, Mancham, a founder of the Seychelles Democratic Party, was Chief Minister of the Seychelles colony before becoming its president in 1976, following a popular vote when the British gave the Seychelles independence. Less than a year later, in June 1977, he was deposed in a coup by his Prime Minister France-Albert René, who would go on to serve as the second president of Seychelles. Mancham lived in exile in London until April 1992. He ran for president in July 1993 and finished second behind René with 36.72% of the vote. In March 1998, he ran again, receiving third place and 13.8% of the vote, behind René and Wavel Ramkalawan. Mancham died on 8 January 2017 aged 77. |
Independence from Britain in 1976 |
Source: SEC and Wikipedia