ALN affirms support for SNP Presidential campaign

We, the representatives of African liberal parties, assembled in Johannesburg, South Africa, affirm our strong support for the Seychelles National Party (SNP) and its Presidential candidate Mr Wavel Ramkalawan MNA.
We call on the people of Seychelles to take note of the liberal democratic principles espoused by the SNP as documented in their manifesto, ‘Ansanm pour en meyer lavi: A better life for all Seychellois’. The Africa Liberal Network fully supports the SNP’s campaign to reunite the people of Seychelles and eliminate the discrimination which has characterised the past 34 years of rule by the SPPF-Parti Lepep. We welcome the SNP’s social liberal policies for revising income tax, bringing down the cost of living, and improving standards in healthcare and education. We further welcome the emphasis on strong leadership, a civil service free of politics, and building effective national institutions.
The ALN commends Mr Wavel Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest and well-respected civic activist, for having received in excess of 45% of the popular vote in previous elections, and we hope that this will be the time when he is finally able to sweep to victory and win the Presidency on 21 May 2011. We welcomed the challenge laid down by Ramkalawan for incumbent President, Mr James Michel, to hold a televised debate, noting that this is a normal part of the political process in the democratic world; however, we were disappointed when this was rejected.
The ALN calls on the Seychelles Electoral Commission to ensure open and transparent polls in which the SNP is able to campaign freely in public. In order to ensure a level playing field, we urge the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation to allow equal coverage to both sides during the campaign. We support the Commonwealth Observer Mission in their important work and call on them to document any violations of electoral law, human rights, or media freedom, in their final report.
Finally, we call on the incumbent Parti Lepep to respond to accusations that their campaigners in Bel Air have used money to influence the outcome of the election, a practice which the Africa Liberal Network condemns in the strongest terms.
Johannesburg, 9 May 2011