Voters head to the polls in Bahamas for snap election | Election News

Prime Minister Philip Davis and the ruling Progressive Liberal Party are seeking a second consecutive term.

A by-election is being held in Bahamasas voters head to the polls to decide whether to give Prime Minister Philip Davis and his ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) a second term in a row.

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

“Today, we are voting for the Bahamas to move forward,” Davis said in a tweet. “Let’s protect our progress, save our energy, and protect what’s to come. Vote PLP. Choose Progress.”

Concerns about affordability, poor wage growth, and rising housing costs are key issues for voters, as parties compete for 41 seats in the country’s Parliament.

The Bahamian newspaper 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 defeated the PLP in the second consecutive election.

The election was originally scheduled for October, but was called early by Davis because of concerns about voting during the storm, Reuters reported.

Davis came to power in a quick decision in 2021, and the PLP hopes to secure a majority of 32 seats in the 39-seat parliament. Two more seats are being added in this election following the recommendations of the independent Constituencies Commission, bringing the total to 41.

The Nassau Guardian newspaper reported that the campaign has cost a lot of money, as well as falsehoods spread on social media and in some cases using artificial intelligence. The paper said the race has become increasingly close in recent weeks after revelations about government spending, including hundreds of millions of dollars in non-advertising contracts.