Site search. Learn more about the Secretariat's human rights work Sport Since August , the Secretariat has helped build the skills of sport leaders and sport officials in The Bahamas. Learn more about the Secretariat's sport for development and peace work Debt management The Secretariat helped The Bahamas draft a law to help it manage its public debt. Learn more about the Secretariat's debt management work Natural resources Secretariat experts on managing oceans and natural resources helped The Bahamas develop a Petroleum Bill and Regulations.
In , the Commonwealth helped The Bahamas prepare a law to regulate its mining sector. Find out more Learn more about the Secretariat's work. The governor general signs the act, which upon being published in the official journal of the government becomes a law.
Bills may officially be introduced in either house of Parliament, except for money bills, which may only be introduced in the House of Assembly, and may be passed with or without amendment, subject to the agreement of both houses. The House of Assembly elects one member from each of fortythree constituencies or single-member districts for terms not to exceed five years.
The House of Assembly performs all major legislative functions. The leader of the majority party in the House is appointed prime minister by the governor general, and the leader of the major opposition party is designated as leader of the opposition. The House of Assembly elects a speaker and a deputy speaker to preside over the House. The number of constituencies is established in Article 68 of the Constitution, but Article 70 mandates a procedural review of these constituencies at least every five years.
The Constituencies Commission reviews the number and boundaries of the constituencies, taking into account the number of voters, the needs of sparsely populated areas, and the ability of elected members to maintain contact with voters from a wide geographic area.
The Constituencies Commission consists of the speaker of the House of Assembly, a justice of the Supreme Court, and three members of the House of Assembly--two from the majority party and one from the opposition.
The Constitution first established thirty-eight constituencies. That number was increased to forty-three in time for the elections and to forty-nine for the elections. The Senate is appointed by the governor general. Nine members are chosen on the advice of the prime minister, four on the recommendation of the leader of the opposition, and the remaining three on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition. The Senate has limited functions in the parliamentary process.
It elects a president and a vice president to preside over its proceedings. The executive authority of government officially rests with the British monarch, represented by the governor general. The general direction and control of government, however, are vested in a cabinet, led by the prime minister, who serves as the chief executive of the government.
The cabinet also consists of at least eight other ministers, including the attorney general, who are drawn from the membership of Parliament. In late , the cabinet consisted of the Office of the Attorney General and the heads of eleven ministries: agriculture, trade, and industry; education; employment and immigration; finance; foreign affairs; health; housing and national insurance; tourism; transport and local government; works and utilities; and youth, sports, and community affairs.
The minister of finance must be a member of the House of Assembly. If the attorney general is appointed from the Senate, no more than two other ministers may be drawn from the ranks of the Senate; if the attorney general is from the House of Assembly, however, three ministers may be chosen from the Senate.
A number of parliamentary secretaries are also appointed from the membership of Parliament to assist the ministers. Permanent secretaries also serve in the ministries; they are appointed by the Public Service Commission to these highest civil service positions. Institutionally, the cabinet collectively is responsible to Parliament. The prime minister is responsible for keeping the governor general informed of the general conduct of the government. The judiciary of the Bahamas is independent of executive control.
It consists of the Court of Appeal at the highest level, followed by the Supreme Court, magistrate is courts, and Family Islands commissioners, who often act as magistrates. The Court of Appeal consists of a president and two other justices. Bahamian law is based on English common law, but a large body of Bahamian statute law also exists. The Family Islands are divided into nineteen districts administered by twenty-three commissioners appointed by the government and supervised from Nassau.
Several of the larger islands with relatively greater populations are split up into several districts. In addition to the commissioners, elected House of Assembly members often deal with local matters, thereby filling the void created by the absence of an elected local government. For decades prior to the achievement of internal self- government, the Bahamas' political and economic systems were dominated by a small elite referred to as the "Bay Street Boys," so named because most of their businesses and economic activities were concentrated along Bay Street in Nassau.
The postwar era, however, brought about significant changes in the nation's political system and genuine political participation by the masses. In the first Bahamian political party, the PLP, was formed by blacks discontented with the policies of the governing elite; the PLP's popular success forced the elite in to form a party of its own, the United Bahamian Party UBP. Two events in the s helped propel the PLP into a position of political strength.
First, in an antidiscrimination resolution passed the House of Assembly and kindled political awareness among the black population. The PLP benefited from this awareness and became the party of black Bahamian pride. The second significant event, the general strike led by Randol Fawkes of the Bahamas Federation of Labour, strengthened the PLP's image as a champion of the working masses.
Although the PLP was not directly involved in the strike at first, its leaders observed the strike's success and sought to be identified as the political party associated closely with it. The nineteen-day work stoppage focused world attention on the Bahamas and caused the British Colonial Office to give increased attention to Bahamian affairs. The strike also provided the impetus for electoral reform; the British added four legislative seats to New Providence.
Despite a vigorous campaign, the PLP lost badly to the UBP in the general election; the party attributed its overwhelming defeat to unfair electoral boundaries. Steps toward internal self-government proceeded under the UBP as party leader Sir Roland Symonette became the country's first premier the preindependence title for prime minister in During the next several years of UBP rule, the PLP waged a media and propaganda campaign to focus attention on the alleged unfairness of electoral boundaries.
The cabinet consists of the prime minister and at least nine members who all hold seats in parliament. The cabinet is appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister. The prime minister is appointed by the governor-general, and is usually the leader of the majority party or coalition in the House of Assembly.
The Bahamas has a bicameral legislature. The Senate has 16 members. Nine are appointed on the advice of the prime minister, four by the opposition and three after joint discussions. The House of Assembly has around 40 elected members who are directly elected by district for a term of five years.
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