VICTORIA, Seychelles — Wendy Didon was sworn in as the new chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Seychelles at a ceremony held at State House yesterday morning. She was appointed by President Wavel Ramkalawan, following the recommendation of the Constitutional Appointments Authority (CAA), as prescribed in Article 138 of the Constitution. During the ceremony, Mrs Didon took the Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution and the official oath.
Currently, Mrs Didon runs her own business as the director and founder of recruitment and consultancy firm Job Plus Seychelles Limited. She is vastly experienced in the tourism industry and human resource management, and has, since July 2014, served as an electoral commissioner. Speaking to the media, Mrs Didon vowed to lead the Electoral Commission team in accordance with the law, and to deliver on their mandate. ‘It has been almost 8 years since I have been a commissioner and over these years, we have gone through a lot, and we have gone through a lot of development. I have seized all opportunities to learn and understand the maximum,’ she said.
With the imminent presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, Mrs Didon said the devoted team of commissioners and staff are willing to put in extra effort to ensure that the elections are fair and credible. ‘I want to ask that electorates and political parties exercise their duties in a civilised manner, in such a way that everyone enjoys the elections,’ she added, noting that Seychelles is reputed among other electoral management bodies for peaceful elections, amid the tension associated with the process. President Ramkalawan thanked outgoing chairperson Danny Lucas for his role in transforming the Electoral Commission from a small body to a large institution over the years.
