Seychelles’ President Criticizes Mauritius Over Broken Election Pledges

Wavel Ramkalawan, the President of Seychelles, has launched a direct attack on the Mauritian government, accusing it of failing to deliver on election promises. Speaking at a political rally in Beau Vallon on Sunday, August 31, the president used the alleged failures of his Mauritian counterparts to highlight his own commitment to transparent governance ahead of his re-election bid.

Ramkalawan, who has been in power since October 2020, is seeking re-election for the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) party in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections scheduled for September 25-27.

He told supporters his campaign would not make unrealistic pledges merely to win votes.

“We are not here to make promises just to get votes,” he stated. “We will say when something is difficult, and if it is achievable, we will clearly indicate the way forward.

It would have been easy for me to promise this or that simply to win votes. But that is not in my interest.”

The President’s Criticisms: Not the First Time

He continued by drawing a sharp contrast with Mauritius: “We have an example before our eyes: in Mauritius, during the last elections, many promises were made.

Today, one by one, they have not materialised, because they were formulated only to win the elections. We will not proceed in this way.”

This is not the first time President Ramkalawan has publicly criticised Mauritius. In August 2021, he described the Seychellois parliament as “much more civilised than that of Mauritius,” a comment that provoked a response in Mauritius and was related to the tone and behaviour of parliamentary debates.

Source: Defi Media