Presidential election in the Seychelles 2015
The 2015 presidential election in Seychelles took place between December 3rd and 5th, 2015. After none of the candidates could achieve an absolute majority in the first ballot, a runoff election was held from December 16 to 18 between incumbent President James Alix Michel and long-time opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan . Michel won this second ballot with 50.15 percent of the valid votes.
background
According to Article 52 of the Constitution, the President of the Seychelles, for a term chosen by five years. In the 2011 election , incumbent Michel was able to unite 55.46 percent of all valid votes in the first ballot. On October 1, 2015, Michel announced that he would hold early presidential elections. Initially, the election was to take place from November 19-21. Shortly after the announcement, however, the date was postponed to the period from December 3rd to 5th to allow the parties more time to prepare.
Candidates
The admission of the candidates was decided on November 11, 2015. Each applicant had to show 500 supporters and an amount of 15,000 rupees . The following six candidates were allowed to stand for election:
- James Alix Michel ( People's Party ) has been acting president since 2004 and is running for a third term.
- Wavel Ramkalawan ( Seychelles National Party ) has been a member of the Seychelles opposition since the early 1990s, including as opposition leader from 1998 to 2011. It is his fifth candidacy for president.
- Patrick Pillay ( Lalyans Seselwa ), was a member of the People's Party and has held various ministerial and ambassadorial posts since the 1990s. Together with other former members of the government, he founded his own party in May 2015 because, in his opinion, the Seychelles no longer have confidence in the current government.
- David Pierre ( Popular Democratic Movement ) is the leader of his party and the current opposition leader in the National Assembly.
- Alexcia Amesbury ( Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy ) becomes the first woman to run a presidential election.
- Philippe Boullé , lawyer, is running for the fourth year in a row as an independent candidate.
James Michel
Wavel Ramkalawan (left)
Patrick Pillay
David Pierre
Alexcia Amesbury
Philippe Boullé
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First ballot
Of 70,943 registered voters, 62,004 cast their votes. This corresponds to a slight increase in voter turnout of 87.4 percent compared to 2011. 1466 votes were invalid. The results of the candidates can be seen in the following table:
| candidate | Political party | be right | in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Michel | People's Party | 28,911 | 47.76 |
| Wavel Ramkalawan | Seychelles National Party | 21,391 | 35.33 |
| Patrick Pillay | Lalyan's Seselwa | 8,593 | 14.19 |
| David Pierre | Popular Democratic Movement | 400 | 0.66 |
| Alexcia Amesbury | Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy | 803 | 1.33 |
| Philippe Boullé | independently | 408 | 0.67 |
For the first time in the history of the country there was a second ballot in a presidential election.
Second ballot
The second ballot was held in the form of a runoff between the two candidates with the most votes in the first ballot from December 16-18. Ramkalawan was supported by the defeated candidates Pillay, Amesbury and Boule. Michel won the election with 50.15 percent of the valid votes. 1062 of the 63,893 votes cast were invalid. The turnout fell slightly compared to the first ballot by 0.6 percentage points to 86.8 percent.
| candidate | Political party | be right | in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Michel | People's Party | 31,512 | 50.15 |
| Wavel Ramkalawan | Seychelles National Party | 31,319 | 49.85 |
After the election
While the re-elected President Michel saw the election as a final exam for Seychellois democracy, challenger Ramkalawan spoke of various irregularities after the runoff election and called for the votes to be recounted. Just two days after the election, on December 20, President Michel was sworn in for his third term.
Election observer
The election process was followed by observers from the Commonwealth , the African Union , the South African Development Community (SADC) and the Commission de l'Océan India . In a statement by the SADC Electoral Observation Mission on December 7th, the election campaign is described as calm and peaceful and the election as orderly. However, the long waiting times in front of the polling stations were criticized.
Individual evidence
- ^ Constitution of the Republic of the Seychelles. (PDF) Accessed December 10, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Seychelles President James Michel calls early elections seeking third and final mandate. Seychelles News Agency, October 1, 2015, accessed December 10, 2015 .
- ^ Seychelles Electoral Commission postpones scheduled dates for presidential elections, saying most parties needed more time to prepare. Seychelles News Agency, October 9, 2015, accessed December 10, 2015 .
- ↑ a b The race is on for the Seychelles presidential elections: Six candidates officially accepted. Seychelles News Agency, November 11, 2015, accessed December 10, 2015 .
- ↑ Party Leader - Wavel Ramkalawan. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on December 10, 2015 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Seychelles presidential race heading for run-off within 14 days - no candidate wins absolute majority after 'highly contested' first round. Seychelles News Agency, December 6, 2015, accessed December 10, 2015 .
- ↑ a b James Michel secures third term winning 50.15 percent votes in Seychelles presidential run-off. Seychelles News Agency, December 19, 2015, accessed December 19, 2015 .
- ^ Seychelles President James Michel sworn into office, sets 100 days to address 'urgent priorities'. Seychelles News Agency, December 20, 2015, accessed December 21, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Seychelles presidential election 2015 generally 'peaceful, well conducted and transparent' says international observer missions. Seychelles News Agency, December 8, 2015, accessed December 10, 2015 .
- ↑ SADC ELECTORAL OBSERVATION MISSION (SEOM) TO THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES STATEMENT BY HONOURABLE NYELETI BROOKE MONDLANE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE, AND HEAD OF THE REPUBLIC TO THE ELECTRONICS IN 2015. (PDF) SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), December 7, 2015, accessed on December 10, 2015 .
