Commonwealth of the Bahamas: House of Assembly, 10 May 2017

At stake in this election:

• 39 seats in the House of Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State:  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Marguerite PINDLING (since 8 July 2014)
• Head of Government:  Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 8 May 2012)
• Assembly:  The Bahamas has a bicameral Parliament of the 16-seat Senate and the 38-seat House of Assembly.

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 38 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms

Last Election:

• The Progressive Liberal Party won the majority of seats in 2012 with 29 seats. The Free National Movement won 9 seats, and the Democratic National Alliance was unable to secure any seats.

Main candidates in the election:

• Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
  • Leader: Rt. Hon. Perry G. CHRISTIE
  • Seats won in last election:  29
• Free National Movement (FNM)
  • Leader: Hurbert MINNIS
  • Seats won in last election:  9
• Democratic National Alliance (DNA)
  • Leader: Branville McCARTNEY
  • Seats won in last election:  0
• Bahamas Constitution Party (BCP)
  • Leader: Collin G. MILLER
  • Seats won in last election:  0
• Bahamas National Citizen Coalition (BNCC)
  • Leader: Andrew STEWART
  • Seats won in last election:  0
• The Gatekeepers
  • Leader: Rev. Jeremiah DUNCOMBE
  • Seats won in last election:  0
• United Democratic Party
  • Leader: Gregory MOSS
  • Seats won in last election:  0

Population and number of registered voters:  

• Population:  327,316 (July 2016)
• Registered Voters:  179,508 (2016)

Gender Data:  

• Female Population:  166,977 (July 2016)
• Is the Bahamas a signatory to CEDAW:  No
• Has the Bahamas ratified CEDAW:  Yes, accession (6 October 1993)
• Gender Quota:  No
• Female candidates in this election:  Yes
• Number of Female Parliamentarians: 9[1]
• Human Development Index Position:  55 (2014)
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization:  N/A

Disability Data:

• Is the Bahamas a signatory to CRPD:  Yes (24 September 2013)
• Has the Bahamas ratified CRPD:  Yes (28 September 2015)
• Population with a disability:  48,960[2]