Anse Boileau by-election - Local observer mission readies for polling day |20 February 2018

The first accredited local observer group, Citizens Democratic Watch Seychelles is gearing up for the Anse Boileau by-election slated for this coming weekend.

Citizens Democratic Watch Seychelles (CDWS) launched its observer mission led by Gerard Limsam after being accredited for this election by the Electoral Commission of Seychelles (ECS) yesterday during a short ceremony at the Ceps conference room.

The 12 members of the observer team signed their pledge after reciting the oath.

They also received new T-shirts and caps to wear while they observe the election for the special polling on Saturday and at Anse Boileau on Sunday.
CDWS chairperson Eline Moses went through the code of conduct, procedures, deployment schedule and de-briefed the members, calling on them to maintain a high level of professionalism during this election.

“We will be there to witness and observe the election, not to interfere with the process or make comments and we have to ensure that the citizens are properly able to exercise their rights,” she said.

Mr Limsam said since the announcement of the by-election, CDWS has been actively involved in observing nomination day procedures, meetings with candidates, campaign and media briefings.

“When observing an election it’s not only on the day itself that we are involved, it also includes the preparation leading up to election day. Two CDWS observers observed a meeting in Anse Boileau and they reported that since 3pm to 7pm there was large crowd with a calm atmosphere,” he said.

Mr Limsam is hoping that all goes well during the weekend and the same level of peace is maintained throughout the by-election.

He also noted that the reports handed in by both the local and international observer groups are taken into account by the ECS.

The by-election is necessary after the district’s seat in the National Assembly became vacant following the resignation of Patrick Pillay as both Speaker and as member of the National Assembly for the electoral area of Anse Boileau on January 29, 2018.

In recent interviews, Mr Pillay said he “resigned as Speaker of the National Assembly and MNA of Anse Boileau for both political and personal reasons”.

"The Seychellois are suffering. Cohabitation is not working, so as the Speaker of the National Assembly, I decided to resign," Mr Pillay told the media.

The three candidates taking part in the by-election are Louis Loizeau of the Seychelles Patriotic Movement (SPM), Phillip Arissol of the opposition coalition Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) and independent candidate Ralph Volcere.

Parti Lepep has decided not to field any candidate.

After the 2015 presidential elections, Mr Pillay's party Lalyans Seselwa joined LDS with three other parties ‒ Seychelles National Party (SNP), the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSD) and the Seychelles United Party ‒ to contest the National Assembly elections.

LDS won the majority of seats ‒ 19 out of the 33 ‒ putting Seychelles in a position of cohabitation as the government is headed by the president’s party Parti Lepep.

Meanwhile, on Valentine’s Day ‒ February 14 ‒ Lalyans Seselwa leader Pillay announced that his party had left LDS as a result of “unreconcilable differences”.

In a conference by some members of the Lalyans Seselwa’s national executive committee, secretary general Ahmed Afif said that the statement made by party leader Pillay that the party has parted ways with the LDS is false.

“The party makes decisions through a structure guided by the constitution and the National Executive Committee (Nec) which makes decisions. For a decision of that magnitude it would definitely have to be taken at a physical meeting where all members have been informed and are present and the item of whether or not to leave LDS is stated clearly on the agenda then a vote is taken. I can confirm as the secretary general of the party I have not received a notice of such a meeting, I have attended no such meeting and no such decision has been taken,” said Mr Afif.