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Elections in the Bahamas take place in the framework of a parliamentary democracy. Since independence, voter turnout has been generally high in national elections, with a low of 87.9% in 1987 and a high of 98.5% in 1997. The current Prime Minister is The Hon. Philip Davis.
Electoral system
The electoral law of the Bahamas was passed on 31 December 1979.
There is also an Electoral Broadcasting Council, which is responsible for ensuring that media reports are fair and not biased towards any party.
The country has a bicameral Parliament with a House of Assembly and Senate.
House of Assembly
The House of Assembly has 39 elected members who are elected in single-member constituencies. Elections for the House are held every 5 years.
Voters must be Bahamian citizens at least 18 years old and lived for three months in the constituency.
Referendums
There have been two national referendums and one opinion poll held within the last twenty years. The first, held in 2002, it asked voters five questions ranging from changes to the constitution to the setting up of a national commission on teaching. The first opinion poll, held in January 2013, asked individuals whether they wanted to legalize online gambling. The second national referendum took place on June 7, 2016, and asked voters four questions pertaining to equal rights within the Bahamas. All three referendums/opinion polls were rejected.
History
Prior to the introduction of universal suffrage in 1961, elections in the Bahamas were dominated by the white oligarchy known as the Bay Street Boys. They were represented by the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which by gerrymandering the constituency boundaries, won the 1962 elections despite receiving fewer votes than the black Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). but power was ceded back to the PLP in 2002. The FNM returned to power again in 2007. The PLP regained power in 2012, only to lose it in 2017, when the FNM won 35 of 39 seats. The PLP then returned to office after the 2021 snap election, winning 32 seats and forming the government under Philip Davis.