2026 Bahamian general election

In the 2021 general election, held on 16 September 2021, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) led by opposition leader Philip Davis defeated the incumbent Free National Movement (FNM) government of Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, winning 32 of the 39 seats in the House of Assembly.^[7][8] Minnis conceded defeat on election night and Davis was sworn in as Prime Minister on 17 September 2021.^[9][10] The PLP's 32 seats were its highest seat total since the 1982 election, while the FNM's seven seats were its lowest total since the 1977 election.^[8] Former prime minister Perry Christie argued after the 2021 result that, for more than two decades, no Bahamian government had won consecutive terms, and said the incoming administration's "survival" would depend on understanding this voting pattern.^[11]

Following their election defeat, the FNM selected Michael Pintard as its new leader in November 2021.^[12] Pintard defeated a leadership challenge in June 2024.^[13]

On 1 April 2026, Davis announced that he would advise the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament on 8 April, that the writs of election would be issued on 9 April, and that polling day would be held on 12 May. He also said that the register of voters for the election would close at the end of 8 April, the statutory deadline for new registrations and constituency transfers.^[2] The election was called several months before the last possible date, as the next general election had not been due until mid-October 2026.^[1] An official in Davis's office said the early timing was intended to avoid disruption from the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.^[19]

On 8 April, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles, acting as provost marshal, read the proclamation dissolving Parliament. The next session of Parliament was set for 20 May.^[20] Nomination Day was held on 16 April, and the advance poll was scheduled for 30 April.^[21]

Members of the House of Assembly are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting.^[22] The majority party then selects the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Governor-General.^[23]

Electoral boundaries are reviewed ahead of general elections by a Constituencies Commission. In 2024, a new Constituencies Commission was appointed to begin another review of the electoral boundaries in preparation for the next general election.^[24] By late 2025, the commission was considering changes to several large or sparsely populated constituencies, including MICAL, Killarney, Golden Isles, and West Grand Bahama and Bimini.^[25] The commission had proposed creating two new constituencies by splitting Killarney and West Grand Bahama and Bimini, citing the size of those electorates, including reports that Killarney had more than 7,000 registered voters and West Grand Bahama and Bimini had 6,070.^[26] In January 2026, the commission's report was tabled in the House of Assembly, which approved the creation of two new constituencies — St James and Bimini and Berry Islands — raising the total number of constituencies from 39 to 41.^[27][28] The changes were set out in the House of Assembly Revision of Boundaries and Re-distribution of Seats Order, 2026 (S.I. No. 5 of 2026), which divided the Bahamas into 41 constituencies: 25 in New Providence, five in Grand Bahama, and 11 in the Family Islands. The order specified that the revised boundaries and seat distribution would apply from the next general election.^[3]

In 2025, the government introduced the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2025 as part of a package of election administration reforms. Among other measures, the bill provided for the introduction of optional biometric voter cards, secure electronic poll books, and voter verification exercises every ten years.^[29][30] The legislation replaced the concept of a permanent voter card with a biometric card valid for ten years and allowed biometric data already held by the passport office to be used (with the voter's consent).^[30] The Senate passed the bill in August 2025.^[31]

In January 2026, more than 196,000 people were registered to vote, with work continuing to remove duplicate registrations and deceased persons from the register ahead of the general election.^[32] By April 2026, more than 209,000 voters were registered. The new biometric voter card was not mandatory; voters could use the existing purple voter card in the 2026 election.^[33]

The elections were monitored by election observers, including missions from the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and accredited United States embassy observers.^[34] On 20 April 2026, the OAS and the Government of the Bahamas signed an agreement establishing the privileges and immunities of an OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the election. The OAS said this would be the fourth time it had observed an election in the Bahamas and designated Sherry Tross of Saint Kitts and Nevis as chief of mission.^[35] The United States also planned to deploy accredited embassy observers.^[36] CARICOM mounted a nine-member Election Observation Mission from nine member states, which operated from 5 to 15 May.^[37] The Commonwealth deployed a Commonwealth Observer Group consisting of eminent persons from across the Commonwealth, led by former Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding.^[38]

A record of more than 200,000 people were registered to vote.^[39]

Ahead of the advance poll, early voting was available to categories including senior citizens, special voters, members of the uniformed branches, students abroad and pregnant women. The Parliamentary Registration Department said that overseas voting would take place at 13 missions, with about 400 voters expected to cast ballots abroad, while advance polling in the Bahamas would be held at 17 polling stations in New Providence and Grand Bahama.^[40] The OAS said eligibility for the advance poll had been expanded to include elderly persons and persons with disabilities, resulting in about 26,000 registered advance voters, the highest number recorded in a Bahamian election.^[41]

CARICOM said that voters were able to cast their ballots in a peaceful and orderly manner and that the results were in keeping with the will of the people of the Bahamas.^[37] In its preliminary findings, the Commonwealth Observer Group described polling day as peaceful, orderly and transparent, but reiterated concerns about the absence of an independent electoral management body, but also noted operational problems during the advance poll, including overcrowding, long waiting times and voter confusion over registration procedures and polling assignments.^[42] The OAS reported that the election proceeded in an orderly manner, with no significant incidents, but noted that electronic poll books were not deployed, that the advance poll experienced delays and long lines. The OAS also noted that the Parliamentary Registration Department's official website did not publish preliminary results on election night. According to the mission, the public's main source of election-night results was media reporting based on information provided by the PRD.^[41]

In addition to the two principal parties in the Bahamas, the PLP and the FNM, independent politicians and the COI also contested the election.^[43]

Philip Davis and the PLP sought a second consecutive term, something that no prime minister or party had managed to achieve in the country in nearly 30 years.^[19]

The campaign took place against a backdrop of concerns over the cost of living, crime, immigration, government transparency, housing, healthcare and public services.^[1] Affordability concerns included rising housing costs and stagnant wages, while housing remained a challenge despite efforts by recent PLP and FNM governments to expand access to housing.^[19] On 1 April 2026, the government removed VAT from unprepared food sold in grocery stores, a measure it had presented as relief for households facing the rising cost of living.^[44]

The governing PLP launched its 2026 platform, Blueprint for Progress, at the University of the Bahamas in April 2026. The platform included proposals on migrant health insurance, tighter immigration enforcement, expanded worker protections, artificial intelligence and digital government, housing, competition policy, agriculture, healthcare and Family Island development.^[45] Davis said the PLP had completed or commenced 325 of the 387 commitments made in its 2021 Blueprint for Change, and the government released a public tracker of those commitments.^[46]

The opposition FNM released a 54-page manifesto titled We Work For You. The party promised to remove VAT from everyday essentials, medical costs and educational supplies, introduce a national lottery, build at least 5,000 homes, begin implementation of the Freedom of Information Act within 90 days of taking office, and hire 100 doctors and 200 nurses.^[47] Immigration, especially irregular migration from Haiti, became one of the main campaign issues. The FNM placed greater emphasis on sovereignty and immigration enforcement late in the campaign, using the slogan "Save our Sovereignty".^[48]

The COI campaigned as an alternative to the two major parties and promoted a first-100-days programme focused on immigration, crime, healthcare, education and culture.^[49] The election was expected to be mainly a contest between the PLP and FNM, although the COI had drawn attention during the campaign. No prime minister of an independent Bahamas had previously been elected from a third party.^[1]

Nomination Day was held on 16 April 2026. Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson said that about 130 candidates were nominated across the 41 constituencies, with no applications rejected and only limited issues reported in a few constituencies.^[50] The official list of nominated candidates was published in the Bahamas Gazette.^[51]

Several sitting or former MPs contested the election outside their previous party arrangements. Former prime minister Hubert Minnis ran as an independent candidate in Killarney after severing ties with the FNM, while former MP Frederick McAlpine and MP Leroy Major also announced independent bids.^[52][53][54] In April 2025, Iram Lewis had resigned from the FNM and joined the Coalition of Independents, becoming the party's first sitting MP.^[16]

In June 2025, two PLP MPs, Alfred Sears of Fort Charlotte and Basil McIntosh of MICAL, announced that they would not seek re-election.^[55][56] Ahead of Nomination Day, the PLP's National General Council ratified its slate of candidates by early February 2026, while the FNM had ratified 39 candidates by 4 February.^[57][58][59] The COI also ratified candidates before the election; in September 2024 the party unveiled its first 19 candidates, and in January 2026 it said it had three ratifications remaining to complete a full slate.^[60][61] The COI did not nominate a candidate for the MICAL constituency.^[62]

Polling for the election was conducted by Public Domain Research and Strategy.^[64][65]

Incumbent prime minister Philip Davis and his ruling Progressive Liberal Party were re-elected to a second term. Davis was the first incumbent Bahamian leader to secure re-election since 1997.^[6] Preliminary results showed the PLP winning 33 of 41 seats, nearly matching the results in 2021.^[5] The PLP won both newly created constituencies, St James and Bimini and Berry Islands.^[19] FNM candidates dominated in the outer edges of the Lucayan Archipelago, winning in the constituencies of Central Grand Bahama, East Grand Bahama, Marco City, MICAL, Long Island, St. Anne's, Freetown and Killarney.^[4] The PLP was dominant in New Providence, holding all but three seats on the island: Freetown, Killarney and St Anne's.^[5]

Deputy FNM leader Shanendon Cartwright lost in St. James, while FNM chairman Duane Sands also lost in Bamboo Town.^[66] Other notable defeated candidates included former prime minister Hubert Minnis, former NBA player Rick Fox and Cabinet minister Wayne Munroe.^[19][67] The third party COI did not win any seats, but their leader Lincoln Bain finished ahead of the FNM candidate in his constituency, while deputy party leader Veronica McIver in Killarney finished close to Minnis.^[62] Nine women were elected, seven from the PLP and two from the FNM.^[68]

More information Party, Votes ...

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Progressive Liberal Party	71,908	51.21	33	+1
	Free National Movement	49,538	35.28	8	+1
	Coalition of Independents	17,151	12.21	0	0
	Independents	1,828	1.30	0	0
Total		140,425	100.00	41	+2
Total votes		140,425	–
Registered voters/turnout		209,264	67.10
Source: Parliamentary Registration Department[69]

Close

Davis appealed for unity and acknowledged the low turnout, stating that it was not good for democracy in the Bahamas and that more must be done to ensure every voter felt like their ballot mattered.^[5] He was sworn in for his second term on 14 May.^[70] Regional leaders including Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness and Barbadian prime minister Mia Mottley, as well as United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, congratulated Davis on his re-election.^[34]

FNM leader Pintard delivered a concession speech that partly attributed the party's loss to votes cast for COI and independent candidates, splitting the vote.^[4] After the election, Pintard did not immediately commit to remaining FNM leader, saying he would discuss the matter with his team in the following days.^[71] COI leader Lincoln Bain conceded that the party had failed to win a single constituency, including the Pinewood constituency that he contested.^[62] PLP politician Glenys Hanna Martin was pleased with the number of women elected, but stated that the Bahamas parliament was still a long way from gender parity.^[68]