The Bahamas is a chain of islands in the Caribbean, close to the coasts of the US state of Florida and near to the island of Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean, the island chain also stretches out towards the Turks and Caicos Islands and Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The capital city of Nassau is located on New Providence island which is located in the center of the island chain below Grand Bahama and Great Abaco and close to Andros Island, the largest island in The Bahamas. The capital city attracts much tourism and like many parts of The Bahamas it is known for its beaches and offshore coral reefs. Grand Bahama and Paradise Island are also well-known and include up-scale hotels and resorts. Many resorts can also be found across The Bahamas.
Featured photo – Map by Google Maps, flag edited on by me.
The Bahamas was part of the British Empire before it became independent on 22nd June 1973, but The Bahamas is a part of the Commonwealth of Nations meaning that the British Monarch is still Head of State and is represented in The Bahamas by an appointed Governor-General.
The country uses the Bahamian Dollar as its currency which is 1 Bahamian Dollar = 0.82 Pound Sterling and 1 = 1 US Dollar as of typing this. The country’s population is just over 395,300.
Government Type
The Bahamas is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, having a bi-cameral parliament for legislative matters and a Prime Minister who is Head of Government. The Monarch of the British Monarchy is Head of State but he/she is represented by a Governor-General.
The Monarchy role and Executive Government
As the Bahamas is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, they have a Governor-General who acts as Head of State for the British Monarch. The Governor-General is appointed to the position by the British Monarch and serves for life. The Governor-General has limited powers and is almost entirely ceremonial. They appoint the Prime Minister and sign bills into law that have been passed by the country’s parliament. They also take advice from the Prime Minister on certain ministerial appointments as well as on numerous other executive matters and appointments. The Governor-General dissolves the government ready for elections but may also dissolve early on advice from the Prime Minister if early elections are called. Although there are some instances where a Governor-General can use their powers to go against the Prime Minister, his government or Parliament it is extremely unlikely to actually happen as it would lead to a constitutional crisis.
The Governor-General also appoints the upper house of Parliament, the Senate, after parliamentary elections, but it is done on advice from not only the Prime Minister but also the leader of the largest opposition.
In basically every case though the Governor-General acts on advice of the Prime Minister just as long as they hold a majority within parliament and that the advice follows the constitution itself. Matters with constitutional legality may be handled by a high/constitutional court instead.
The Prime Minister is Head of Government and is charged with forming a Cabinet to determine agenda and policy for the country as well as handle foreign matters and departments of the government. The Prime Minister is appointed to their position from the largest party by the Governor-General after parliamentary elections have taken place.
Legislative Government
The legislative government is made up of a bi-cameral parliament, both the lower house, the House of Assembly which is democratically elected by the people and the upper house, the Senate, which is appointed.
The House of Assembly currently has 39 elected members, one for each current constituency. The member numbers may change on the amendment of constituencies. A speaker elected by MPs makes sure all rules are followed in the House of Assembly and that order is kept. The House of Assembly is charged with debating, amending and passing legislation as well as debating on other matters and affairs. Political parties are allowed and are what mostly make up the House of Assembly.
The Senate currently has 16 members and they are appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the main Opposition. Nine are appointed on the Prime Minister advice, four on the main opposition leader’s advice and the further three are appointed on a joint-decision between the Prime Minister and main Opposition leader. The Senate debates, amends and passes bills sent on from the lower house, they may also block bills from the House of Assembly, in this case and cases where a bill is amended it is then sent back the House of Assembly, the Senate can send a bill back only twice, otherwise it goes straight on to the Governor-General for Royal Assent (signing into law). A President is elected by Senators to make sure rules are followed and order is kept.
The Electoral System
Parliamentary elections are held every 5-years (or sooner if an early election is called). The House of Assembly is then elected by the people. All 39 members are elected from single-seat constituencies using a first past the post system where a candidate only needs a simple majority to win a seat. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General from the largest party within the House of Assembly.
The Senate is appointed by the Governor-General on advice from the Prime Minister and main Opposition leader, as explained earlier.
It is not compulsory to vote. Voters must be at least 18 years old, have Bahamian citizenship and have lived in their constituency for at least three months.
Thank you for reading and I hope this was informative. Next up will be a small island in the Middle East called Bahrain.
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