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VICTORIA: With no outright winner in Seychelles’ presidential election, the country will hold a rerun vote between the two main contenders, the electoral authority said on Sunday.
Opposition figure Patrick Herminie received 48.8 percent of the vote, while the incumbent, Wavel Ramkalawan, garnered 46.4 percent, according to official results. A candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to be declared the winner.
The runoff will take place from Oct. 9-11, according to the electoral authority.
Ramkalawan stated that he wants a debate with his rival to help voters make an informed decision.
“State House does not belong to me,” he said, referring to the official residence of the president. 
“State House does not belong to you. State House will always belong to the people of Seychelles.”
Herminie said that he hopes to win in the second round of voting, because the people “are very unhappy with the way the country is being run.”
Herminie represents the United Seychelles party, which dominated the country’s politics for decades before losing power five years ago. 

It was the governing party from 1977 to 2020.
Trying to prevent United Seychelles from returning to power, Ramkalawan seeks a second term as the leader of Africa’s smallest country. 
His governing Linyon Demokratik Seselwa party campaigned on economic recovery, social development, and environmental sustainability.
Early voting began on Thursday, but most people voted on Saturday.
The 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean has become synonymous with luxury and environmental travel, which has bumped Seychelles to the top of the list of Africa’s richest countries by gross domestic product per capita, according to the World Bank.
But opposition to the governing party has been growing.
A week before the election, activists filed a constitutional case against the government, challenging a recent decision to issue a long-term lease for part of Assomption Island, the country’s largest, to a foreign company for a luxury hotel development.
The lease, which includes the reconstruction of an airstrip to facilitate access for international flights, has ignited widespread criticism that the agreement favors foreign interests over Seychelles’ extended welfare and sovereignty over its land.
With its territory spanning approximately 390,000 sq. km, the Seychelles is particularly vulnerable to climate change, including rising sea levels, according to the World Bank and the UN Sustainable Development Group.
Another concern for voters was a growing drug crisis fueled by addiction to heroin. 
A 2017 UN report described the country as a major drug transit route, and the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index said that the island nation has one of the world’s highest rates of heroin addiction.
An estimated 6,000 people out of Seychelles’ population of 120,000 use the drug, while independent analysts say addiction rates approach 10 percent. 
Most of the country’s population lives on the island of Mahé, home to the capital, Victoria.

ROME: An international aid flotilla that paused for several days in Greek waters for repairs has set sail again for Gaza, where activists aim to challenge Israel’s naval blockade and deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.
Organizers said on Sunday that Greek vessels had now joined their enterprise, meaning that the flotilla, which counts some 47 civilian boats, was “complete.”
“Brothers and sisters in Gaza, we sail with hope in our hearts. Your resilience is our compass, your struggle is our struggle. Together, we will break the silence of the siege,” the Global Sumud Flotilla wrote on social media.
Around 40 Italians are aboard the flotilla alongside activists from dozens of other countries, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. They hope to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza in the coming week.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Sunday repeated a proposal made last week for the flotilla to take the aid to Cyprus for eventual distribution in Gaza by the Roman Catholic Church. The flotilla rejected the suggestion.
“We have always said ... that it is dangerous to approach Israeli waters. We don’t know what might happen. Forcing the blockade is dangerous,” Tajani told reporters.
 The flotilla was struck on Wednesday in international waters off Crete by drones armed with stun grenades and irritants, which caused damage but no injuries.
Israel did not comment on the incident. It has previously said it will use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas militants in the coastal enclave.
Italy and Spain have deployed navy ships near the flotilla for rescue and humanitarian operations.
Israel began its Gaza offensive after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 
The offensive has killed over 65,000 people in Gaza, Gaza health authorities say.