Opposition leader Patrick Herminie wins presidential runoff election in Seychelles

VICTORIA, Seychelles (AP) — Opposition leader Patrick Herminie won the presidential election in Seychelles, defeating incumbent leader Wavel Ramkalawan in a runoff vote, according to official results released early Sunday.

Herminie garnered 52.7% of the vote, with Ramkalawan taking 47.3%, the results showed.

Herminie represents the United Seychelles party, which led the country for four decades before it lost power in 2020. It was the governing party from 1977 to 2020. Ramkalawan, of the governing Linyon Demokratik Seselwa party, sought a second term.

“The people have spoken,” Herminie said in brief remarks after he was declared the president-elect. “I am deeply humbled by the trust the people have placed in me, and I formally accept this mandate with gratitude, a profound sense of duty and an unshakeable faith in the strength and character of the Seychellois people.”

Herminie served as speaker of the national assembly between 2007 and 2016.

A majority of lawmakers in parliament will allow his party “to work collaboratively and constructively to deliver the best possible outcomes for our people," Herminie said.

The race between the two main contenders in Seychelles’ election was decided in a runoff after there was no outright winner in the presidential vote two weeks ago.

Early voting began Thursday, but most people in the island nation voted on Saturday.

Both Herminie and Ramkalawan ran spirited campaigns trying to address key issues for voters, including environmental damage and a crisis of drug addiction in a country long seen as a tourist haven.

The country has become synonymous with luxury and environmental travel, which has bumped Seychelles to the top of the list of Africa’s richest countries by gross domestic product per capita, according to the World Bank.

But opposition to the governing party grew in recent months.

A week before the first round of voting, activists sued the government, challenging a recent decision to issue a long-term lease for a 400,000-square-meter (100-acre) area on Assomption, one of the country's 115 islands, to a Qatari company to develop a luxury hotel.

The lease, which includes reconstruction of an airstrip to facilitate access for international flights, has ignited widespread criticism that it favors foreign interests over Seychelles’ welfare and sovereignty.

Seychelles is especially vulnerable to climate change, including rising sea levels, according to the World Bank and the U.N. Sustainable Development Group.

It also faces an addiction crisis fueled by heroin. A 2017 U.N. report described the country as a major drug transit route, and the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index said that the island nation has one of the world’s highest rates of heroin addiction.

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Supporters of President-elect Patrick Herminie celebrate after his winning in the runoff presidential election outside the Electoral Commision Headquarters in Victoria, Seychelles on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

Seychelle's incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan gives a speech conceding defeat in the runoff presidential election at the Electoral Commission Headquarters in Victoria, Seychelles, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

President-elect Patrick Herminie, left, speaks with incumbent leader Wavel Ramkalawan, right, after winning in the runoff presidential election at Mont Fleuri Secondary School polling station in Victoria, Seychelles, on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

President-elect Patrick Herminie gives a speech after winning the runoff presidential election at the Electoral Commission Headquarters in Victoria, Seychelles, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

Election commission members count ballots after voting in a runoff presidential election at Mont Fleuri Secondary School polling station in Victoria, Seychelles, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

Electoral commission staff monitor as people cast their votes in a runoff presidential election at Mont Fleuri Secondary School, Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Seychelles, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

People line up to cast their votes in a runoff presidential election at Mont Fleuri Secondary School, Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Seychelles, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

People line up to cast their votes in a runoff presidential election at Mont Fleuri Secondary School, Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Seychelles, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

People line up to cast their votes in a runoff presidential election at Mont Fleuri Secondary School, Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Seychelles, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

President Wavel Ramkalawan casts his vote in a runoff presidential election between him and opposition challenger Patrick Herminie, at Belonie Secondary School in St Louis, Mahe, Seychelles, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilie Chetty)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Foscue finally went deep for the first time in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers. That home run created a much happier highlight than the embarrassing blooper-reel moment he knows he will see often in the future after running into their two-time World Series MVP shortstop.

“Getting your first home run is a big deal. ... And I almost took out the star shortstop,” Foscue said. “A lot of ups and downs.”

Foscue, a first-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2020, hit his first career homer Saturday night in the Rangers’ 6-0 victory that snapped the Chicago Cubs’ 10-game winning streak.

“It was a big relief for me,” he said. “It is the best moment of my career so far.”

That came roughly 24 hours after he was playing second base and collided with Corey Seager, who was moving to his left to field a grounder up the middle. The ball squirted past as the infielders tumbled to the ground behind the bag. Neither was injured, but Foscue was charged with an error for causing the mishap in that 7-1 loss.

“Nobody feels worse (for) running into Corey Seager. Trust me, he did not want to do that,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I think it was big of Corey to go up to him and say, it’s gonna be all right, you know, don’t worry about it.”

Seager actually texted Foscue after that game to let him know everything was good.

“That really meant a lot,” Foscue said. “I said I’m glad you’re OK.”

Foscue had entered the series opener against the Cubs as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, and his RBI single produced the only Texas run. The fielding blooper to open the seventh led to three unearned runs for Chicago.

When the Rangers gave struggling Jake Burger a break Saturday night, Foscue started at first base.

“If (Seager) would have gotten hurt, then I don’t know if I would be here,” Foscue said after his 23th big league game since his debut in 2024. It was his fourth game this season since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock after second baseman Josh Smith went on the injured list.

Instead, Foscue stayed and Schumaker was even making light of the fielding blooper with a joke about it during the hitters meeting before Saturday’s game.

“Kind of lightens it a little bit,” Foscue said. “Stuff like that happens in baseball, and I hate that I was the one, that I was part of it, and I cannot believe that it happened still. ... You can’t think about the day before. If you do that, you’re gonna be carrying a lot of baggage with you.”

In the clubhouse after hitting his first home, Foscue got a celebratory beer shower from his teammates.

“It’s how you bounce back,” Schumaker said. “That shows you what kind of person and what kind of character you have.”

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Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue runs the bases after hitting his first career home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue loads up while waiting for a pitch from the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue (14) reacts with manager Skip Schumaker, second from left, and staff after hitting his first career home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, left, and second baseman Justin Foscue collide while fielding a ball hit by Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, May 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)