Presidential election 2015 |31 December 2015

Michel beats all odds to be re-elected president

James Michel of Parti Lepep beat all the odds to win the historic and bruising run-off of the presidential election from December 16-18 to be re-elected for a third and final five-year presidential term, while the opposition has petitioned the Constitutional Court for a recount.

The election was historic for another reason as for the first time a woman – human rights lawyer Alexia Amesbury – ran for president and she picked up 832 votes in the first round before joining hands with other opposition leaders in an effort to oust Mr Michel from power.

Dedicating the second round victory to the Seychellois people whom he has vowed to serve, the Parti Lepep leader polled a total 31,512 or 50.15% of the popular vote to beat Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles National Party (SNP) who got 31,319 or 49.85%.  

The margin of victory was just 193 votes and this has decreased considerably compared to 2011 when it was over 8,000.

Mr Michel was sworn in during the afternoon of Sunday December 20 at State House in front of distinguished guests.

Succeeding France Albert René as President upon the retirement of the latter in April 2004, Mr Michel was first elected to the highest office in July 2006 and was re-elected in May 2011 and now for a third time in December 2015.

“Today the people have spoken. Today the people made their choice. They want to continue on this same path of progress that I have commenced ... for me to continue to lead Seychelles forward in stability, peace, and prosperity. This election has tested the political maturity of Seychellois democracy and after not one candidate could get the majority in the first round, we did in the second,” said President Michel.

A total of 70,943 people were eligible to vote in all the 25 electoral areas to choose who between incumbent President Michel of Parti Lepep and former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles National Party will occupy the country’s highest office.

The total number of votes cast was 63,893 and the total in favour was 62,831. Therefore, a total of 1,062 votes were not in favour. The voter turnout was 90.1% and Les Mamelles had the highest turnout of 96.5% or 2,324 in a voting population of 2,408.

The Inner Islands with a voting population of 1,989 saw only 1,511 cast their votes as this was the lowest percentage of 76% among all 25 districts, but coincidentally it is where Parti Lepep pulled off its biggest score of 69.97%.

Mr Michel won in 13 districts – Anse Aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Royale, Baie Ste Anne, Cascade, English River, Grand Anse Mahe, Grand Anse Praslin, Inner Islands, Pointe Larue, Port Glaud, Roche Caïman and Takamaka.

As for Mr Ramkalawan he won in Anse Etoile, Au Cap, Baie Lazare, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Glacis, Les Mamelles, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, and St Louis.

Mr Ramkalawan registered his biggest score – 58.79% – in St Louis. He got the support of three of the other four opposition leaders under the banner Union for Change (Linyon Sanzman). Only Mr Pierre and his People’s Democratic Movement did not form part of the Union for Change.

For Mr Ramkalawan this was the fifth unsuccessful attempt to capture the State House after also suffering defeats in 1998 (to former President France Albert Rene), 2001 (to former President France Albert Rene), 2006 (to incumbent President James Michel) and 2011 (to incumbent President James Michel).

He described the election as an “auction” as he said “it was a matter of how much was paid out to voters”.

Mr Ramkalawan, who said that he does not accept the results of this election, explained that all these irregularities have been placed before the electoral commission.

First round from December 3-5

After none of the six candidates could pull off the 50% plus one vote for an outright majority in the first round from December 3-5, Seychellois voters had to vote again two weeks later in the historic presidential run-off.

This was the first time since the return of multi-party democracy in Seychelles in 1993 that the presidential election went into a second round and the people had to decide between two candidates – Parti Lepep’s James Michel and Seychelles National Party’s Wavel Ramkalawan – who secured the most votes in the first round.

It was close to 5am on Sunday December 6, 2015 that Electoral Commission chairman Hendrick Gappy announced the results at the commission headquarters at the National Library in the presence of four of the six candidates – Mr Michel, Mr Ramkalawan, Patrick Pillay of Lalyans Seselwa and Alexia Amesbury of the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy.

David Pierre of the Popular Democratic Movement and independent candidate Philippe Boullé were absent.

Out of the 70,943 eligible voters, there were a total of 62,004 votes cast among which 60,538 were valid votes and 1,466 rejected ballots. The voter turnout was 87.4%.

Incumbent President, 71-year-old Michel won 28,911 votes (47.76%), and his closest challenger, 54-year-old Anglican priest Ramkalawan scored 21,391 votes (35.33%).

The scores of the other four candidates in the first round were as follows: Mr Pillay (8,593 votes for 14.19%), Mrs Amesbury (832 votes for 1.37%), Mr Boullé (411 votes for 0.68%) and Mr Pierre (400 votes for 0.66%).

Mr Pillay, a former minister and ambassador in the Parti Lepep government, lawyer Amesbury, the first female presidential candidate in the history of Seychelles, and Mr Pierre, the current leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, were running for the presidency for the first time.

Of the three new entrants, Mr Pillay surely drew away more support from the two main parties – Parti Lepep and Seychelles National Party – with his score of 8,593 votes (14.19%).

This was Mr Boullé’s fourth unsuccessful bid in a presidential election as an independent candidate and his score dropped from 956 in 2011 to 411 this year, while Mr Pierre is the biggest loser with just 400 votes to finish last in the race involving six candidates.

The opposition amassed 52.23% of the votes in the first round to force a second round for the first time ever.

Mr Ramkalawan thanked the other opposition parties and his voters for helping force a second round for the first time ever and said “with 52.23% of the votes the opposition has more supporters”.

He added: “Michel, we will come after you as the army of the opposition.”

Mr Michel scored more than 50% in seven out of the 25 districts with the highest score of 68.40% (1,186 out of a possible 1,734) coming from the inner islands. The other six districts where he won more than 50% are Baie Ste Anne (57.51%), Cascade (53.12%), Grand Anse Praslin (50.83%), Pointe Larue (52.38%), Roche Caïman (52.78%) and Takamaka (53.16%).

This was 17 districts less than in 2011 when he won all but two districts to total 31,966 votes (55.46%) to be re-elected President for a second five-year term. Mr Michel’s poorest score was registered in St Louis with 877 votes (40.21%) out of a possible 1,683 votes.

As for Mr Ramkalawan, he also got fewer votes than in 2011 when he totalled 23,878 (41.43%) and after scoring more than 50% once then – 53.10% at St Louis – he did not go over the 50% margin this time as his best percentage score was 46.86% again at St Louis after he amassed 1,022 of a possible 1,683 votes. He also beat Mr Michel in Beau Vallon 43.15% to 41.23%.

Mr Ramkalawan’s lowest score was from the inner islands – 398 votes out of a possible 1,734 (22.95%).

The margin between Mr Michel and Mr Ramkalawan in the first round was 7,520 votes – 568 less than in 2011 when the former beat the latter by 8,088 votes (31,966 against 23,878).

The accompanying table shows the results district by district in the second round.

Compiled by G. G.