Philip Davis and Progressive Liberal Party win general election in Bahamas
The victory marks the first time in three decades a Bahamian political party has noticed back-to-back general election wins.
Philip Davis will hold onto his seat as prime minister of the Bahamas after the Progressive Liberal Party scored a victory in early elections.
The results were announced late on Tuesday, and Davis celebrated the outcome with a speech to supporters in the capital, Nassau.
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“To Bahamians who voted today but did not vote for us, I want you to know I’ve listened to you, I’ve heard you, and I want you to know that I will continue to work hard for all Bahamians,” Davis said.
The win marks the first time since 1997 that a political party in the Bahamas has won a general election twice in a row.
Early tallies show that the Progressive Liberal Party is slated to win more than 30 of the 41 seats in the Bahamian Parliament. Official results have yet to be released.
Davis is therefore on track to become the first prime minister to retain his post for a consecutive term in nearly three decades. Hubert Ingraham of the Free National Movement (FNM) was the last prime minister to pull off the feat.
It is unclear, however, if the current opposition leader, Michael Pintard of the Free National Movement, will step down after his loss on Tuesday. Pintard conceded his party’s defeat in a phone call to Davis.
“The Bahamian people made their choice,” Pintard told supporters. “In a democracy, that is the only voice that ultimately matters.”
Pintard has nevertheless retained his seat in Parliament, representing the constituency of Marco City.
The snap election was the second time in a row that a vote had been called early.
According to officials, the earlier election this year was intended to avoid any disruptions that might be caused by the Atlantic hurricane season in October, when the vote was expected to be called.
Davis and his party had also triumphed in an early election in 2021, which was held in September of that year.
In the lead-up to Tuesday’s vote, the Progressive Liberal Party held 32 of the 39 seats in the House of Assembly, the lower chamber of Parliament. The Free National Movement held the other seven seats.
But for the latest vote, two new constituencies were created: St James and the Berry Islands.
With the addition of the two new constituencies, the number of seats in the House of Assembly increased from 39 to 41 in this year’s vote.
The election was dominated by issues like the cost of living, housing access, crime, immigration and healthcare access.
As the vote neared, Davis, for example, moved to lift the value-added tax on food in grocery stores, despite criticism that the policy would do little to alleviate the strain on Bahamians’ bank accounts.