Seychelles presidential vote going to runoff, electoral commission says

VICTORIA (Reuters) -The Seychelles presidential election will go to a runoff between opposition leader Patrick Herminie and incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan after no clear winner emerged in the first round of voting, the electoral commission said on Sunday.

Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa's wealthiest country per capita.

The western Indian Ocean archipelago is a magnet for investment and security cooperation with China, Gulf nations and India.

Herminie, head of the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.

Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory in the first round.

The US party also made significant gains in the National Assembly, winning 15 constituency seats and an additional four seats through proportional representation, giving it a clear parliamentary majority.

LDS won 11 constituency seats and four proportional seats, leaving the ruling party behind its main rival in the legislative chamber.

In the presidential race, the two front-runners will now face off in a decisive second round scheduled to be held from October 9 to 11.

The winner will be handed a five-year mandate.

Nearly 82% of registered voters participated in the first round, which was held from Thursday to Saturday, the electoral commission said.

(Reporting by Gabriel Robert-Gironcelle; Writing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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