Bahamians head to polls in snap election

PORT SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Bahamians headed to the polls on Tuesday in a general election preceded by intense, sometimes heated, campaigning across the islands that make up The Bahamas.

Incumbent Prime Minister Philip Davis and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) are seeking a second consecutive term. Davis dissolved Parliament on April 8 and called a snap election.

The main opposition party, the Free National Movement (FNM), is now led by Michael Pintard, who took the helm after the party’s defeat in the September 2021 general election.

Dr. Hubert Minnis, a former prime minister and the former leader of the FNM, also is running as an independent candidate.

Votes are being cast to determine who will form the next government, as the political party that wins a majority of the 41 legislative seats will become the ruling party.

Campaigning in the weeks leading up to Election Day focused on several key issues, including the state of the public healthcare system, the country’s crime rate, the cost of living for Bahamians and immigration concerns.

The PLP has sought to remind voters of its accomplishments since taking office in 2021; the FNM has promised to fix what it claims the incumbents got wrong.

The Coalition of Independents (COI), which has emerged as an alternative to the two major political parties, has sought to educate Bahamians about what’s happening in society and expose any corruption in government, according to COI leader Lincoln Bain.

“We think that Bahamians are ready for something different,” Bain told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “The people want change.”

International election observers have arrived in The Bahamas, which has a population of more than 300,000, to oversee the electoral process. the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States and regional trade bloc CARICOM have all confirmed sending observers.

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Mesquita reported from Havana, Cuba.