According to official results released on Sunday, incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan received 46.4 percent of the vote, while opposition candidate Patrick Herminie secured 48.8 percent, The Associated Press reported.

 The electoral authority has not yet announced when the rerun will take place. Early voting began on Thursday, with most ballots cast on Saturday. Herminie’s United Seychelles party, which ruled the country from 1977 until losing power in 2020, is seeking a comeback. Ramkalawan, meanwhile, is vying for a second term with his Linyon Domokratik Seselwa party, campaigning on economic recovery, social development, and environmental sustainability.

 Tensions have risen in the lead-up to the polls. Just a week before election day, activists filed a constitutional case against the government over its decision to grant a long-term lease on part of Assomption Island to a Qatari company for luxury hotel development. The agreement also included rebuilding an airstrip to accommodate international flights, sparking criticism that the deal favours foreign investors at the expense of Seychelles’ welfare and sovereignty.

 Voters are also concerned about a worsening heroin crisis. Independent analysts estimate that around 6,000 people – out of a population of just 120,000 – use the drug.

 Seychelles, a nation spread across 390,000 square kilometres (150,580 square miles) of the Indian Ocean, is highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly rising sea levels. Still, the country has built a global reputation for luxury tourism and environmental conservation, making it one of Africa’s richest nations in terms of GDP per capita, according to the World Bank. (Aljazeera)