New Delhi [India], October 24 : At the invitation of the Government of Seychelles, the Vice President of India, CP Radhakrishnan, will visit the Republic of Seychelles from October 26-27 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Patrick Herminie, President-elect of the Republic of Seychelles, on behalf of the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement.
During the visit, the Vice President will convey India's warm felicitations to Patrick Herminie and reaffirm the close, longstanding, and time-tested ties between the two countries, the MEA added.
Seychelles is an important partner under India's Vision MAHASAGAR and in its commitment to the Global South. The visit underscores India's deep commitment to further strengthen and expand its partnership with Seychelles.
The visit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's earlier congratulations to Patrick Herminie on October 12, after his victory in the Presidential Elections in Seychelles. Modi had expressed confidence that the long-standing ties between India and the island nation would grow stronger under Herminie's leadership.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, "Heartiest congratulations to Dr. Patrick Herminie on his victory in the Presidential Elections in Seychelles. The waters of the Indian Ocean are our shared heritage and nourish the aspirations and needs of our people. I am confident that our time-tested and multi-faceted relations will deepen and gain further momentum in his tenure as President. My best wishes to him for the tenure ahead."
The Prime Minister highlighted that the Indian Ocean serves as a "shared heritage" connecting the people of both countries and supporting their aspirations.
He said India looks forward to working closely with the new government in Seychelles to enhance cooperation across sectors.
Opposition leader Patrick Herminie emerged victorious in the Seychelles presidential election, defeating incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan in a closely contested runoff, according to official results released early Sunday.
The election commission announced that Herminie secured 52.7 per cent of the vote, while Ramkalawan garnered 47.3 per cent. Herminie, representing the United Seychelles party, returns the political group to power after four years in opposition.
The United Seychelles party had governed the country from 1977 to 2020 before losing to Ramkalawan's Linyon Demokratik Seselwa party in the last election.
Ramkalawan had sought a second term but failed to retain the presidency in this vote. Early voting began on Thursday, while the majority of voters in the Indian Ocean island nation cast their ballots on Saturday, as per The Washington Post.
India and Seychelles share a long history of diplomatic ties since the island nation's independence in 1976.
A contingent from the Indian Naval Ship INS Nilgiri took part in the Independence Day celebrations, and the Indian Mission was established in 1979 in Victoria, with the High Commissioner based in Dar-es-Salaam and concurrently accredited to Seychelles, according to the MEA.
The first resident High Commissioner was appointed in 1987, and Seychelles opened its resident mission in New Delhi in early 2008.