Sixth National Assembly - Political parties complete line-up |16 September 2016

The line-up for the sixth National Assembly is complete after Parti Lepep and Linyon Demokratik Seselwa each named their four members who will take up the proportionate seats.

Parti Lepep (PL) has nominated Basil Hoareau, Chantal Ghislain, Sebastien Pillay and Simon Gill, while opposition coalition Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) has chosen Wavel Ramkalawan, Terrence Mondon, Flory Larue and Jany Letourdie.

LDS won a majority in the September 8-10 election, winning 15 direct seats compared to PL’s 10. This is the first time since the return of multiparty democracy in 1993 that the opposition will have a majority in the National Assembly.

With a total of 30,444 votes (49.65%), LDS earned four proportionate seats in the assembly, the same number as PL who totaled 30,218 votes (49.28%).

LDS will thus hold 19 seats in the sixth National Assembly while PL will hold 14 seats.

For PL, Basil Hoareau, who lost the Bel Ombre constituency to Nicholas Prea (1,283 against 1,391), is the only one of the 15 losing candidates to get a proportionate seat. As for Chantal Ghislain, she was the elected MNA for Inner Islands in 2011 but did not run for office this time. Sebastien Pillay has been chosen as a proportionate member for the second time after serving in the fifth National Assembly from 2011 to 2016.

Elected in the district of Mont Buxton to be part of the first National Assembly in 1993, Simon Gill is back in the parliament after also serving as a proportionate member in 1998 and 2002.

For LDS, Wavel Ramkalawan, who ran for the English River constituency this time and got 1,255 votes to lose it to Wilbert Herminie (1,316) for a second parliamentary election loss after he was beaten by Bella Henderson in St Louis in 1993, is also back as a member of the legislative body. He had previously served the house after winning the St Louis constituency in 1998 and 2002, and Anse Etoile district in 2007. Mr Ramkalawan’s Seychelles National Party (SNP) boycotted the National Assembly election in 2011.

Terrence Mondon, who stood at Takamaka for PL in 2002 and 2007 and won before changing allegiance by joining LDS, lost this year’s race to PL’s Paul Ernesta (964 against 1,059).

Both Flory Larue and Jany Letourdie are new to the parliament. Larue lost to PL’s Sylvanne Lemiel for the Anse Royale seat (1,315 against 1,532) and Letourdie was beaten by Audrey Vidot in Roche Caïman (720 against 982).

The winners of the 15 direct seats for LDS are Clifford André (Anse Aux Pins), Patrick Pillay (Anse Boileau), Ahmed Afif (Anse Etoile), Stephen Pillay (Au Cap), François Adelaide (Baie Lazare), John Hoareau (Beau Vallon), Norbert Loizeau (Bel Air), Nicholas Prea (Bel Ombre), Regina Esparon (Glacis), Wavel Woodcock (Grand Anse Praslin), Bernard Georges (Les Mamelles), Gervais Henrie (Mont Buxton), Jean-François Ferrari (Mont Fleuri), Clive Roucou (Plaisance) and Sandy Arrisol (St Louis).

Sylvanne Lemiel (Anse Royale), Churchill Gill (Baie Ste Anne), Charles De Commarmond (Cascade), Wilbert Herminie (English River), Waven William (Grand Anse Mahé), Noline Sophola (Inner Islands), Jude Valmont (Pointe Larue), Clifford Aglaé (Port Glaud), Audrey Vidot (Roche Caïman) and Paul Ernesta (Takamaka) are the winners of the 10 direct seats for PL.

Of the 33 members, seven are women which is equivalent to 21.21%.

LDS is a coalition of four parties – Seychelles National Party (SNP) led by Wavel Ramkalawan, Lalyans Seselwa (Seychellois Alliance) led by former Minister and Ambassador Patrick Pillay, the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSD) led by lawyer Alexia Amesbury and the Seychelles United Party (SUP) led by Robert Ernesta – as well as lawyer Phillip Boulle who has run for president as an independent candidate a number of times.

According to statistics released by the Electoral Commission, the voter turnout was 62,939 representing 87% of the voters’ population of 71,932. A total of 1,547 votes were rejected.