At stake in this election:

• 41 seats in the House of Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM
• Assembly: Bahamas has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 16 seats and the House of Assembly with 41 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor General Sir Arthur A. FOULKES since 14 April 2010.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is the hereditary head of state.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the governor-general.
• In the Senate 16 members are appointed by the governor-general to serve 5-year terms. In the House of Assembly 41 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Free National Movement (FNM)
  Leader: Hubert INGRAHAM
  Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 21
• Party: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
  Leader: Perry CHRISTIE
  Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 17
• Party: Democratic National Alliance (DNA)
  Leader: Branville McCARTNEY
  Seats won in last House of Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Independent Candidates
  Leader: N/A
  Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 316,182 (July 2012 est.)
• Registered Voters: 172,128 (March 2012 )