By-election for Anse Boileau set for February 25 |31 January 2018

The Electoral Commission has declared that the by-election for the Anse Boileau electoral area will be held on February 25 under the guidance of acting chairperson, Bernard Elizabeth.

This comes after the Commission met in an emergency meeting yesterday morning to agree on the way forward following the resignation of its former chairman Hendrick Gappy on Friday, January 26.

Mr Gappy’s exit proved to be a dilemma for the Commission when Patrick Pillay unexpectedly also announced on Monday his resignation as both Speaker of the National Assembly and MNA of Anse Boileau.

According to a press release from the Electoral Commission, the decision has been guided by Section 115 C (6) of the Constitution which states that the Electoral Commission continues to act, and function, notwithstanding this one vacancy in its membership.

Henceforth the voter register for Anse Boileau was closed yesterday with the nomination day having been set for February 5.

Voting will take place at the Anse Boileau secondary school on Sunday, February 25.

The by-election will also see the special polling stations sprouting up on Silhouette and other inner islands to cater for registered Anse Boileau voters residing in these areas.

“We are ready and prepared because this is not the first time that we have a by-election and the members of the Commission have been there for the last six years; surely we must have some experience,” Mr Elizabeth made public.

The Commission expects to reinforce voters’ education to ensure the electorate understands the importance of voting.

In regards to the election for a new Speaker, Wavel Ramkalawan, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, disclosed that voting has been set for the legislative’s first sitting.

Meanwhile the leader of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), Roger Mancienne, has made known the party’s stance in regards to the resignation of Mr Pillay as both Speaker of the National Assembly and MNA of Anse Boileau, stating that he is “fully confident in the future of LDS”.

The communiqué reads: “The LDS executive council has learned with regret the decision of Mr Patrick Pillay to resign as Speaker of the National Assembly and as member for Anse Boileau. As members of the executive council we respect his decision.”

It further states that Mr Pillay has contributed heavily to the new era of political development which Seychelles is currently experiencing as well as to the democratic process.

Mr Pillay was one of the leading forces behind the rise of the Lalyans Seselwa during the 2015 presidential election where the party joined the Seychelles National Party (SNP) to later form what is now known as LDS.

At the same time, Mr Mancienne expressed his disappointment at the way Mr Pillay took the decision, acting on it without the consultation with the LDS leadership.

“Mr Pillay was elected on an LDS ticket like all other MNAs. He has a responsibility to LDS in such decisions. I also think the decision is unfair to the people of Anse Boileau who voted for Mr Pillay to represent them. I believe that he took on a responsibility which he should not put off so lightly.”

Similar to the Electoral Commission, leaders of LDS and its legislative team met as a matter of urgency to discuss the possibilities and challenges ahead.

Amid questions and suppositions surrounding Mr Pillay’s resignation, Mr Mancienne writes that he will not speculate on the former’s decision to leave his posts, adding that Mr Pillay will have enough opportunity to clarify his position.

“The one point of divergence that he has spoken to me about is that he is dissatisfied with the pace at which the present political setup is dealing with the problems faced by the country. In as far as this goes, I and other leaders are also unhappy with the pace at which we are moving forward,” the communiqué continues.

Mr Mancienne concluded with the confirmation that LDS will call for new elections “as early as possible” as the party is dissatisfied with President Danny Faure’s failure to play “a more active and forceful role” in dealing with the problems facing the country.