Election watch: SNP shouts foul play
The party has accused James Michel of using state resources during his campaign.
The Seychelles National Party (SNP) has lodged a formal complaint with the office of the Electoral Commission accusing the Parti Lepep Presidential candidate of abusing state resources during his election campaign. The SNP was referring to Parti Lepep’s Party Political Broadcast, which aired on Tuesday November 17 on national television, which, it said, showed footage of Mr Michel at State House.
In a letter addressed to Hendrick Gappy, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, the leader of the SNP, Wavel Ramkalawan, questioned Mr Michel’s actions: “He is a candidate like anyone else when he presents his PPB and is not doing so in his capacity as the caretaker president of the Seychelles”, before asking “why should he be granted the luxury of being able to present his PPB using State House as its setting?”.
Mr Ramkalawan further added that State House belongs to the country and consequently that if it is accessible to one Presidential candidate, it should be made available to all of them. He urged the Electoral Commission to disallow this practice and to prohibit any PPBs using State House as a backdrop. “We have been talking about a level playing field, and surely you will agree that this action of the caretaker President goes against the spirit of us ever getting fairness in the forth coming election”, he concluded.
It is not the first time that the SNP has accused Parti Lepep of abusing state resources during an election campaign. During the last Presidential and legislative elections, it accused Parti Lepep of using the resources of government ministries, such as transport and other equipment, during its campaign.
Source: Today.sc 11-19-15