Voters head to the polls in the Bahamas for high-stakes snap election | Elections News

Prime Minister Philip Davis and ruling Progressive Liberal Party seek to clinch rare second consecutive term.

A snap election is underway in the Bahamas, where voters are heading to the polls to decide whether to grant Prime Minister Philip Davis and his ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) a rare second consecutive term in office.

If Davis wins the election on Tuesday, he would be the first leader of the Caribbean island nation to serve a second term in nearly 30 years. He is facing a challenge from the Free National Movement (FNM), led by Michael Pintard.

“Today, we vote to keep The Bahamas moving forward,” Davis said in a social media post. “Let’s protect our progress, keep our momentum, and secure what comes next. Vote PLP. Choose Progress.”

Concerns about affordability, poor wage growth, and rising housing costs are top of mind for voters, with parties competing for 41 seats in the country’s House of Assembly.

The Bahamian paper The Nassau Guardian reported that no political party has successfully formed a government for two consecutive terms since 1997, when Hubert Ingraham of the FNM beat the PLP for the second election in a row.

The election was initially scheduled for October, but was called early by Davis due to concerns about holding the vote during hurricane season, Reuters reported.

Davis first came to power in a snap election in 2021, and the PLP is hoping to further capitalise on a strong majority of 32 seats in the 39-seat legislature. Two additional seats are being added to this election following recommendations from the independent Constituencies Commission, bringing the total to 41.

The Nassau Guardian reported that the campaign has seen high spending, along with false claims that have spread on social media and sometimes utilised artificial intelligence. The paper stated that the race has become closer in recent weeks following revelations of potentially improper government spending, including hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts.