2017 Bahamian general election
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox election
| country = The Bahamas
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 2012 Bahamian general election
| previous_year = 2012
| election_date = {{Start date|df=y|2017|05|10}}
| next_election = 2021 Bahamian general election
| next_year = 2021
| seats_for_election = All 39 seats in the House of Assembly
| majority_seats = 20
| turnout =
| image1 = Hubert Minnis 2016.jpg
| leader1 =Hubert Minnis
| party1 = Free National Movement
| leaders_seat1 = Killarney
| last_election1 = 42.09%, 9 seats
| seats1 = 35
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 26
| popular_vote1 = 91,401
| percentage1 = 56.99%
| swing1 = {{increase}} 14.90pp
| image2 = Perry Christie 2013 (cropped).jpg
| leader2 = Perry Christie
| party2 = Progressive Liberal Party
| leaders_seat2 = Centreville (defeated)
| last_election2 = 48.62%, 29 seats
| seats2 = 4
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}} 25
| popular_vote2 = 59,253
| percentage2 = 36.94%
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 11.68pp
| map_image = Bahamas_general_election_2017_-_Results_by_Constituency.svg
| map_caption = Winning party by constituency
| title = Prime Minister
| before_election = Perry Christie
| before_party = Progressive Liberal Party
| posttitle =
| after_election = Hubert Minnis
| after_party = Free National Movement
}}
General elections were held in the Bahamas on 10 May 2017.[http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/bis-news-updates/Bahamas_Election_Set_for_May_10th53470.shtml Bahamas Election Set for May 10th] The Bahamas Weekly, 11 April 2017 The elected members of the House of Assembly then elected the Prime Minister.
The result was a victory for the opposition Free National Movement led by Hubert Minnis, which defeated the ruling Progressive Liberal Party led by Prime Minister Perry Christie.
Background
The Free National Movement (FNM) defeated the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in the 2007 general elections amid a scandal involving the residency status of model and reality television star Anna Nicole Smith and allegations that the PLP's immigration minister had fast-tracked her application to live in the islands.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8220494/WikiLeaks-Anna-Nicole-Smith-took-the-Bahamas-by-storm.html|title=WikiLeaks: Anna Nicole Smith took the Bahamas by storm|date=22 December 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph}}
The composition of the House of Assembly changed during the 2012–17 term. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham resigned as the leader of the FNM{{cite web|url=http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30749&Itemid=27|title=Ingraham resigns|first=Krystel|last=Rolle|date=8 May 2012|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=thenassauguardian.com|archive-date=4 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504231225/http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30749&Itemid=27|url-status=dead}} following the party's loss in the 2012 polls and also resigned his parliamentary seat, forcing a by-election in the North Abaco constituency. This resulted in the PLP winning the seat and increasing their total to 30. Subsequently, the PLP lost three seats; Greg Moss left the party to form the United Democratic Party in 2015, while Andre Rollins and Renward Wells defected to the FNM, bringing the PLP's total down to 27 seats.{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/nov/04/wells-and-rollins-join-fnm/|title=Wells And Rollins Join The Fnm|work=Tribune 242|accessdate=10 May 2017}}
Electoral system
Members of the House of Assembly are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting.{{cite web|url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2021_B.htm|title=Bahamas (House of Assembly), Electoral system|accessdate=5 May 2017|publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union}} In the 2017 general elections, there were 39 seats up for grabs in the House of Assembly. This was an increase of one seat from the 38 seat total in the previous parliamentary term, which began after the 2012 polls.{{cite web|url=https://www.bahamaslocal.com/newsitem/166284/39_seats_in_next_House.htmls|title=39 seats in next House|publisher=Bahamas Local|accessdate=10 May 2017}} The majority party then selects the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Governor-General.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsamericasnow.com/eight-things-you-should-know-about-the-bahamas-election-today/|title=Eight Things You Should Know About The Bahamas Election Today|work=News American Now|accessdate=10 May 2017}}
Parties and leaders
Campaign
Controversy arose quickly in the 2017 election campaign when Prime Minister Christie made the comment "Listen, its goin' so good now, God can't stop me now" at his opening rally on the island of Exuma,{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/apr/24/pm-jokes-god-cant-stop-him-election-trail/|title=PM jokes God can't stop him on election trail|date=24 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|first=Sancheska|last=Dorsett|website=tribune242.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/apr/25/pm-explains-why-he-said-god-cant-stop-me-now/|title=PM explains why he said God can't stop me now|date=25 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|first=Khrisna|last=Virgil|website=tribune242.com}} which caused a furious backlash.
The opposition parties decried allegations of rampant corruption in the PLP government,{{cite web|url=http://www.caribbean360.com/news/questions-surround-money-paid-us-bank-account-bahamas-minister|title=Questions Surround Money Paid into US Bank Account of Bahamas Minister|website=caribbean3060.com|date=25 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/apr/25/pm-says-claim-sons-pay-crazy/|title=PM says claim of son's pay is 'crazy'|date=26 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|first=Khrisna|last=Virgil|website=tribune242.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2016/sep/01/young-mans-view-wherever-you-look-baha-mar-conflic/|title=A Young Man's View: Wherever You Look With Baha Mar, Conflict Of Interest Abounds|date=1 September 2016|accessdate=4 May 2017|first=Adrian|last=Gibson|website=tribune242.com}} while it went after allegations of the same thing in the previous government, run by the FNM.{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/apr/25/symonette-doubts-some-disclosures-accuracy/|title=Symonette doubts some disclosures' accuracy|first=Ava|last=Turnquest|date=25 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=tribune242.com}}{{cite web|url=http://bahamaspress.com/2017/04/23/fnm-candidate-admitted-to-fraud-in-customs-declaration-scandal-watch-dem-fall-one-by-one/|title=FNM Candidate Admitted to Fraud in Customs Declaration Scandal…Watch dem fall one by one!!!|date=23 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=bahamaspress.com|archive-date=4 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504230300/http://bahamaspress.com/2017/04/23/fnm-candidate-admitted-to-fraud-in-customs-declaration-scandal-watch-dem-fall-one-by-one/|url-status=dead}}
Many lamented the descent of the campaign into "gutter politics."{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/apr/25/bishop-attacks-gutter-politics/|title=Bishop attacks 'Gutter Politics'|date=25 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|first=Nico|last=Scavella|website=tribune242.com}}{{cite web|url=http://bahamaspress.com/2017/04/26/is-it-da-peoples-time-to-commit-armed-robbery-fnm-candidates-general-caught-in-high-speed-chase-with-police-following-amoured-truck-robbery/|title=Is it da people’s time to commit armed ROBBERY? FNM candidate’s general caught in high-speed chase with police following armoured truck robbery!|date=26 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=bahamaspress.com|archive-date=4 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504230240/http://bahamaspress.com/2017/04/26/is-it-da-peoples-time-to-commit-armed-robbery-fnm-candidates-general-caught-in-high-speed-chase-with-police-following-amoured-truck-robbery/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://bahamaspress.com/2017/04/25/fnms-spread-fake-news-on-baha-mar/|title=FNMs spread FAKE NEWS on Baha Mar!|date=25 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=bahamaspress.com|archive-date=4 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504230230/http://bahamaspress.com/2017/04/25/fnms-spread-fake-news-on-baha-mar/|url-status=dead}}
Infighting in the FNM also caused some controversy. The leader of the FNM, Hubert Minnis, was replaced as the leader of the Official Opposition in the nation's House of Assembly by Loretta Butler-Turner. Butler-Turner served, at one time, as the deputy leader of the FNM party, while Minnis served as party leader. Feuding within the FNM led to a "coup" in late 2016 among FNM parliamentarians in the House of Assembly. As a result, Minnis was removed as the leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly, while remaining as the leader of the FNM party. As the general elections loomed, the FNM revoked Butler-Turner's nomination as the FNM's candidate for the Long Island constituency. Butler-Turner then opted to run as an independent candidate for the Long Island constituency, while remaining as the leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly until its dissolution in April 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/apr/21/butler-turner-out-fnm-she-runs-independent/|title=Butler-Turner out of FNM as she runs as Independent|date=21 April 2017|first=Khrisna|last=Virgil|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=tribune242.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2016/dec/20/door-slammed-shut-fnm-nomination-butler-turner/|title=Door 'slammed shut' on FNM nomination for Butler-Turner|first=Ava|last=Turnquest|date=20 December 2016|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=tribune242.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.caribbean360.com/news/opposition-leader-going-bahamas-pms-job/|title=Hubert Minnis going after Bahamas PM's job|date=18 April 2017|accessdate=4 May 2017|website=caribbean360.com|archive-date=14 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514075448/http://www.caribbean360.com/news/opposition-leader-going-bahamas-pms-job|url-status=dead}}
Results
{{Election results
|image=File:Bahamas Assemblée 2017.svg
|party1=Free National Movement|votes1=91409|seats1=35|sc1=+26
|party2=Progressive Liberal Party|votes2=59253|seats2=4|sc2=–25
|party3=Democratic National Alliance|votes3=7577|seats3=0|sc3=0
|party4=Bahamas Constitution Party|votes4=315|seats4=0|sc4=0|color4=blue
|party5=Bahamas National Coalition Party|votes5=314|seats5=0|sc5=New|color5=teal
|party6=The People's Movement|votes6=200|seats6=0|sc6=New
|party7=Independents|votes7=1339|seats7=0|sc7=0
|total_sc=+1
|electorate=181543
|source=[https://www.elections.gov.bs/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2017-General-Elections-Results.pdf PRD], [https://www.elections.gov.bs/archives/26770 PRD]
}}
=List of elected MPs=
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Bahamian elections}}
Category:Elections in the Bahamas
Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results