General Information
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: 372,388 (July 2012 est.)
- Registered Voters: 172,128 (March 2012 )
Gender Data:
· Female Population: 190,236 (2012)
· 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 2012 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: 55,858 (est.)