Bahamas: Politics and Governance

The Bahamas is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. The British monarch is head of state, represented by a Governor-General, while a Prime Minister leads the government. The bicameral Parliament consists of an elected House of Assembly and an appointed Senate.

Political life in the Bahamas has long been dominated by two main parties, the Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement, which alternate in government through regular elections. The country is an active member of CARICOM and the Commonwealth, and maintains a common law legal system inherited from British colonial rule.