At Stake in this Election:  

• All 41 seats in the Bahamas House of Assembly. 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 09 Sept 2023) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Philip DAVIS (since 23 Sept 2021) 

• Assembly: bicameral Parliament with 16-seat Senate and 41-seat House of Assembly 

Electoral System: 

• The King is a hereditary monarch. They are represented by a Governor-General. 

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General. They must be the leader of the party which commands a majority of support in the House of Assembly.  

• All 16 members of the Senate are appointed by the Governor-General, 9 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 4 from the Leader of the Opposition, and 3 after consulting both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Members are appointed to serve a five-year term. 

• All 41 members of the House of Assembly are directly elected by plurality vote in single-member districts to a 5-year term. 

Last Election: 

In the last election in 2021, the Progressive Liberal Party won a majority with 32 seats. Voter turnout was 65%. 

New/Unique in this Election: 

In early April, Prime Minister Philip DAVIS dissolved Parliament, calling a snap election for mid-May. Elections were initially anticipated to be held in September or October of 2026. Additionally, in the lead up to this election, the House of Assembly was expanded to 41 seats from 39. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 16 April 2026 

• Voter registration deadline: 8 April 2026 

Main Parties in this Election: 

• Progressive Liberal Party 

• • Leader: Philip DAVIS 

• • Seats won in the last election: 32 seats out of 39 

• Free National Movement 

• • Leader: Michael C PINTARD 

• • Seats won in the last election: 7 seats out of 39 

• Coalition of Independents 

• • Leader: Lincoln BAIN 

• • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 39 

Country Context: 

• Population: 401,283 (2024 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 194,525 (2021) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: Not available. 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Not available.  

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.820, Very High, rank 66 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 209,686 (2024 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: acceded 06 Oct 1993 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 4 out of 17 (25%) in the Senate and out of 39 (18%) in the House of Assembly 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Not available. 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: signed 24 Sep 2013, ratified 28 Sep 2015 

• Projected population with a disability: 64,205 (2024 est.)