Voting in the Seychelles Presidential Elections underway
(Posted 04th December 2015)
Voting in the Presidential Elections in Seychelles opened yesterday the 03rd December and will close tomorrow, i.e. Saturday afternoon, the 05th December. Results are expected to be announced late evening of the same day.
On Thursday it was voters on the outer islands of Farquhar, Alphonse, Desroches, D’Arros, Poivre, Platte, Coetivy as well as voters on the inner island of Silhouette and members of the essential services who will be away from their electoral areas, the North East Point Home for the Elderly, the North East Point Hospital and those under detention at the Prisons awaiting their trial who had the opportunity to cast their votes. Today, Friday, it will be the turn for voters on the islands of Aldabra, Assumption, Astove, Marie-Louise, Remire, Ile Aux Vaches (Bird island), Denis and Fregate.
For the new electoral precinct of Perseverance on Mahe voters were also able to cast their vote on Thursday. Voters who are temporarily residing on Praslin were able to vote yesterday, Thursday, and will be able to vote also today, Friday.
Saturday the 05th December will be the main voting day when most of the island’s adult population will be voting on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue Islands.
Seychelles in 2015 has six candidates who are contesting this Presidential election namely the incumbent James Michel of the ruling Parti Lepep (PL), Davis Pierre, the current Leader of the Opposition for the Popular Democratic Party (PDM), Patrick Pillay, a former Minister representing Lalyans Seselwa (LS), Wavel Ramkalawan a former Leader of the Opposition representing the Seychelles National Party (SNP), Alexia Amesbury, the only lady candidate representing the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSJD) and Philippe Boulle, an independent candidate who is also a lawyer by profession.
The polls will close at 18.00 hrs local time on Saturday the 05th of December and results are expected to be out by latest 11pm on Saturday when the Electoral Commission will announce the results.
At the last Presidential election, incidentally closely observed by this correspondent at the time who visited nearly two dozen polling stations, did President Michel win with a significant margin. He was present at the announcement of results while the opposition candidates made a spectacle of themselves by being absent after raising a range of allegations, seen by many at the time as a betrayal of their constituencies.This correspondent was in the tow of observer missions by the AU and the Commonwealth both of which in their formal reports gave the election the thumbs up as free and fair and which dismissed the allegations made as unsubstantiated.
Incumbent James Alix Michel is expected to win the election once again together with his running mate, Vice President Danny Faure, in what will constitutionally be his last term of office.
Unlike in many other African countries, where general and presidential elections normally result in an often sharpish downturn of tourist arrivals, are presently record numbers of visitors streaming to the island, a clear sign of the maturity of the political system in the Seychelles.
Said a senior tourism stakeholder on condition of anonymity: ‘Our tourists right now may have seen election posters or maybe even came across an election rally when out for the day. But elections here in Seychelles really are no cause for concern unlike, as you pointed out, on many parts of the mainland. We have a good political system where campaigns are done without fouls and agitation. When the 06th of December dawns it is business as usual and tourists, apart from reading the newspaper headlines or if they watch our national TV, just continue their holiday. I am personally proud of that, very proud. It shows that my Seychelles is a special place and why more and more tourists are coming here to enjoy our paradise islands‘.
