Seychelles opposition party SNP awaits election announcement to designate presidential candidate

The Seychelles National Party organised its 22nd annual convention under the theme 'The Time Is Now' (Joena Bonnelame, Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The presidential elections in the Seychelles archipelago of 90 000 inhabitants, situated in the western Indian Ocean, are widely expected to take place in the first half of 2016, but no official date has yet been set.

The last election took place in May 2011.

The ruling party known as ‘Parti Lepep’ (the People’s Party), has already announced its candidates for the presidential and legislative elections at its recent Congress on June 5.

President James Michel will represent the party for the third and last time as stipulated by the constitution of the Seychelles, along with his vice-president and running-mate Danny Faure.

But on the other side of the political spectrum in Seychelles, nothing is yet decided, and some observers have speculated that the elections may take place before the end of the year.

The leader of the SNP, Wavel Ramkalawan (Joena Bonnelame, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

On Sunday, the main opposition party, the Seychelles National Party (SNP) leader Wavel Ramkalwan garnered 41.3 percent of the vote in the 2011 presidential election, decided to prolong the suspense at the party’s 22nd annual party Convention, which was organized under the theme "The Time Is Now".

Despite his speech lasting nearly 35 minutes, the SNP leader Wavel Ramkalawan did not address the candidate topic, opting instead to mobilise the party’s forces for work in the field.

"There has been no election announced for now, the presidential elections are due next year... if an election is announced, after consultation with other political parties, we will decide what to do, and whether there will be a single candidate,” Ramkalawan told members of the local press. “We believe it is too early to announce our candidates, but in the meantime all our candidates are working in the districts.”

However, during his speech before SNP members, Ramkalawan predicted that the winner of the next presidential elections would be a candidate from his party.

The supporters of the SNP party attending the convention (Joena Bonnelame, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

In 2011, the SNP decided to boycott the elections in protest against the conditions of the legislative ballot process, a decision which Ramkalawan still believes "brings its fruits."

"The Seychellois let us know that they miss us in the National Assembly... for this reason I am confident that the people will vote for the SNP to form the new government,” said Ramkalawan.

The other opposition parties, the Seychelles United Party (SUP), the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), ‘Lalyans Seselwa’ (Seychellois Alliance) the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSJD) and the Independent Conservative Union of Seychelles (ICUS), have all indicated their intention to participate in the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, but as yet they have not yet nominated their candidates.

So far, only one independent candidate, Philippe Boulle, has confirmed his participation in the next presidential election.