• Opposition leader Patrick Herminie wins with 52.7% of the vote against incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan.
• Herminie's victory grants full control of the government to his party, United Seychelles.
• The election highlighted key issues such as drug addiction and environmental concerns.
• Herminie promises to lower living costs and enhance public services.
• The runoff followed a previous round where no candidate achieved outright victory.

Patrick Herminie, the opposition leader representing the United Seychelles party, has emerged victorious in the presidential runoff against incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan, securing 52.7% of the votes compared to Ramkalawan's 47.3%, as confirmed by official results released early Sunday according to Africanews, Los Angeles Times, and Reuters.

Herminie's victory not only restores power to the United Seychelles party, which governed for over four decades until 2020, but also reflects growing discontent with the current administration. This follows Ramkalawan's initial win in 2020, which marked the first presidential election outcome outside the longstanding rule of the United Seychelles party, according to BBC and TRT Global.

The election discourse has been dominated by critical issues such as environmental protection and a national drug addiction crisis. As reported by Al Jazeera and Africanews, Herminie vowed to address these issues by promising to lower the cost of living and improve public services.

During his campaign, Herminie criticized Ramkalawan for alleged corruption, specifically regarding a controversial deal allowing a Qatari company to develop a luxury hotel that poses environmental risks. This criticism has resonated with a population increasingly aware of its vulnerability to climate change and drug trafficking issues, highlighted by a recent U.N. assessment stating that the country has one of the world's highest rates of heroin addiction, according to Al Jazeera and Los Angeles Times.

Herminie emphasized unity, stating, "I will be the president of all Seychellois, and I will end divisions." His plans include implementing recommendations from a truth and reconciliation commission regarding human rights abuses related to the nation's historical governance, as reported by Africanews and BBC.