At stake in this election:

• 40 seats in the House of Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE
• Assembly: Bahamas has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 16 seats and the House of Assembly with 40 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor General Dame Ivy DUMONT.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is N/A N/A.
• In the Senate 16 members are appointed by the governor-general to serve 5-year terms. In the House of Assembly 40 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Free National Movement (FNM)
  • Leader: Hubert INGRAHAM
  • Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 23
  • Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 7
• Party: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
  • Leader: Perry CHRISTIE
  • Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 18
  • Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 18
• Party: Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM)
  • Leader: Cassius STUART
  • Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 0
• Party: Independent Candidates
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this House of Assembly election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 342,259 (July 2007 est.)
• Registered Voters: 150,743 (April 2007 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 175,061 (2007)

·         Is Bahamas a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Bahamas ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (6 October 1993)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 5 (following 2007 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 55 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Bahamas a signatory to CRPD: Yes (24 September 2013)

·         Has Bahamas ratified CRPD: Yes (28 September 2015)

·         Population with a disability: 51,338 (est.)