Bahamas: Political Parties & Elections

Politics in the Bahamas has long been dominated by two parties: the center-left Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), founded in 1953 and historically associated with the movement toward Black political empowerment and eventual independence, and the center-right Free National Movement (FNM), founded in 1972. Elections to the House of Assembly are held at least every five years under the Westminster parliamentary system, with the leader of the party commanding a majority of the 41 seats appointed by the governor-general as prime minister.

Control of government has alternated repeatedly between the two parties over the decades, and in the most recent general election, held in 2026, the PLP was returned to office with a strong majority of seats in the House of Assembly, while the FNM secured a smaller share, and Philip Davis was sworn in for a second consecutive term as prime minister, becoming the first Bahamian leader to achieve consecutive terms since the late 1990s. In addition to the two established parties, smaller and newer parties, including the Coalition of Independents, have sought to challenge the long-standing two-party arrangement by campaigning on anti-establishment and anti-corruption themes.

Members of the House of Assembly are elected from single-member constituencies using a first-past-the-post system, which tends to produce large parliamentary majorities for the winning party even when the popular vote is relatively close. The Senate, the upper chamber, is not elected but appointed, with members named by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. Voter turnout in Bahamian elections has traditionally been high by regional standards, reflecting strong public engagement with the country's competitive two-party political tradition.