By Gabriel Robert-Gironcelle VICTORIA, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Voters in Seychelles will return to the polls on Thursday for a run-off election between the sitting president and the leader of the Indian Ocean archipelago's longtime governing party, which has already reclaimed a majority in parliament. In the first round last month, Patrick Herminie, a former National Assembly speaker from the United Seychelles party, outpaced President Wavel Ramkalawan by over 2 percentage points with 48.8% of the more than 64,000 ballots cast. Seychelles is Africa's wealthiest country per capita, located across 1.2 million kilometres (463,000 square miles) in the western Indian Ocean and a prime tourist destination as well as a target for investment from, and security cooperation with, China, Gulf nations and India. The nation of 115 islands is, however, also among the world’s most climate vulnerable, and has one of the highest per-capita rates of heroin use. ELECTION COULD PRODUCE DIVIDED GOVERNMENT Voting will begin on the outlying islands and for some essential workers on Thursday, with polling stations on the three main islands opening on Saturday. Results are due on Sunday. Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, came to power in 2020, becoming the first president from outside United Seychelles – formerly the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front – since a coup one year after independence from Britain in 1976. He has touted his management of Seychelles' economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he needs a second five-year term to build social protection and infrastructure while defending the country's neutrality to draw investment. His Linyon Demokratik Seselwa coalition lost its parliamentary majority in last month's vote, meaning he would preside over a divided government should he win. "I think the people of Seychelles want a balance of power to get the best deal," Ramkalawan told Reuters. OPPOSITION CANDIDATE BOOSTED BY ENDORSEMENTS Herminie, who was arrested in 2023 on charges of witchcraft that were later dropped, is aiming to restore United Seychelles' control of both the presidency and parliament for the first time since 2015. His campaign has been boosted by endorsements from eliminated candidates, including Marco Francis, who received around 2% of the vote in the first round. "We needed just 1% to win State House," Herminie told supporters at a rally. "That means 500 votes. And today, I’m telling you: we will get those 500 votes and go to State House on October 11." His platform includes lowering the retirement age that Ramkalawan raised and cancelling a hotel project environmentalists say threatens a UNESCO-listed coral atoll. (Editing by Aaron Ross and Ed Osmond)
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