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The Seychelles will go into a presidential election runoff on December 16 after all the six candidates in the first round failed to secure a 50 percent share of the vote.

The incumbent President James Michel, 71, won 47.76 percent of the 62,004 votes that were cast, while his closest challenger, Wavel Ramkalawan, a 54-year old Anglican priest, scored 33.93 percent.

Michel, who touted his economic credentials during the campaigns, said the result showed his Parti Lepep, or People’s Party in Creole, was still dominant.

The Seychelles economy, which relies on tourism but also has expanding fisheries and financial services industries, is forecast to expand by more than 4 percent in 2015, according to the International Monetary Fund.