Citizens Democracy Watch Seychelles Releases Preliminary Elections Report
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Citizens Democracy Watch Seychelles (CDWS), the local observer group, has said the Presidential and National Assembly elections held from September 25 to 27, 2025 were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and in a transparent manner, expressing satisfaction with the preparedness of the Electoral Commission (ECS).
The head of the CDWS mission, Eline Moses, made the statement on Tuesday afternoon during the local observation’s preliminary report presentation at the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (CEPS) headquarters at Orion Mall. She also expressed the platform’s appreciation of the commission’s capacity and professionalism.
CDWS, which officially launched its mission on September 15, had 32 accredited observers (25 women and 7 men) divided into nine groups to observe the elections in all polling stations, with the exception of those on Desroches and Poivre islands. ‘Our preliminary assessment is that the elections were conducted in a generally peaceful atmosphere and transparent manner in which the citizens of Seychelles readily expressed their will and right to vote,’ stated Mrs Moses.
However, the CDWS report also flagged some concerns, including administrative delays in the opening of some stations, layout issues at a few polling stations that may have compromised ballot secrecy, and some inconsistencies in the application of voting procedures. The mission noted that voting materials were available in sufficient quantity, with ballot papers replenished in a few cases.
