VICTORIA, Seychelles – Opposition leader Patrick Herminie has won the 2025 Seychellois presidential election, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan after a closely contested run-off vote. The victory marks a significant political shift for the Indian Ocean archipelago and returns Herminie's United Seychelles party to power after a five-year hiatus.

The electoral commission announced that Herminie secured 52.7% of the vote in the run-off, while Ramkalawan garnered 47.3%. The run-off, held from October 9 to 11, was necessitated after no candidate achieved the required 50% majority in the first round of voting.

In the initial election held from September 25 to 27, Herminie had taken a narrow lead with 48.8% of the vote against Ramkalawan's 46.4%. The results triggered the second round, which ultimately decided the nation's leadership.

In a victory speech, president-elect Herminie pledged to address the high cost of living, revive public services, and unite the country, describing the outcome as the beginning of "a new chapter for all Seychellois".

Herminie, who previously served as the speaker of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2016, campaigned on a platform of policy change. Key promises included lowering the retirement age and addressing recommendations from a truth and reconciliation commission on past human rights abuses. He also notably opposed a controversial hotel development planned for a UNESCO-listed coral atoll, a move that resonated with environmentally conscious voters.

The election was held against a backdrop of pressing national issues. Voters expressed major concerns over the economy, the impacts of climate change on the low-lying island nation, and a severe drug addiction crisis. Seychelles, renowned for its luxury tourism sector, has one of the world's highest rates of heroin addiction per capita, a challenge the new administration has pledged to tackle.

This result reverses the historic outcome of the 2020 election, where Ramkalawan secured the presidency, marking the first peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party in Seychelles' history. Herminie's victory now places the United Seychelles party, which had governed for decades prior to 2020, back at the helm of the nation.