VICTORIA, Seychelles — A delegation led by the Electoral Commission of Seychelles (ECS), presently in Dubai to oversee the printing of ballot papers, is now expected to return to Seychelles on Monday September 8 instead of Friday September 5 as previously announced. The Electoral Commission was informed by the printing house that Friday September 5 is a public holiday in Dubai, and Emirates, the airline transporting the ballot papers to Seychelles, usually requests a cooling-off period before moving this type of cargo.
Speaking to the local media house in Dubai on Saturday, Chief Electoral Officer Manuella Amesbury said the initial plan was for representatives of the political parties and independent candidates to travel to Dubai on Saturday August 30 to endorse the ballot papers prior to printing, for the scheduled return on Friday September 5. ‘The printing house gave us two options: firstly, to have everything endorsed by Saturday August 30 so they can start printing, or secondly, by Monday September 1. We did the necessary and liaised with Emirates to organise the local representatives’ travel to Dubai, but was informed there were no available seats,’ explained Mrs Amesbury.
The ballot papers are for the upcoming presidential and legislative elections scheduled for September 25, 26 and 27, 2025. The Electoral Commission has been working closely with the printing house and the airline to ensure that the ballot papers are delivered in time for the elections, and will provide further updates on the printing and transport schedule as they become available.
