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Voters in Seychelles have been casting their ballots in a tightly fought presidential run-off between incumbent, Wavel Ramkalawan and opposition leader, Patrick Herminie.
Polls opened in the African island nation on Saturday, with results expected on Sunday.
The United Seychelles party, led by Herminie, was the governing party between 1977 and 2022, before losing power.
It regained ground in last month’s parliamentary elections, winning 15 of 26 seats.
Aljazeera reports that neither candidate won outright in the first round two weeks ago.
Herminie led with 48.8 percent of the vote compared with Ramkalawan’s 46.4 percent, forcing a final round run-off in the nation of 120,000 people.
Early voting began on Thursday at special locations including elderly care homes, schools and several outer islands.
Main polling stations opened after 7am (03:00 GMT) on Saturday for the more than 77,000 registered voters.
Several contentious issues have dominated this electoral cycle.
A controversial land lease has emerged as a central campaign flashpoint, with the government granting a Qatari company a 70-year agreement to build a luxury resort on Assumption Island for US$20 million.
Environmental groups filed a legal challenge to halt the project, arguing it threatens a fragile ecosystem near the UNESCO-protected Aldabra atoll, home to 400 unique species.
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