NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Members of the campaign team helping to elect former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis as leader of the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) have made several allegations regarding the internal electoral process.
In a press release, Minnis’ campaign chairman Burton Miller accused the party’s leadership of breaching the FNM’s constitution and engaging in practices he said would give FNM Leader Michael Pintard an unfair advantage.
“FNM’s, including voting delegates, are deeply concerned with all of the recent actions, decisions, and behavior of the leadership of the party and are especially worried about what the actions of Mr. Pintard and Dr. Sands are doing to the party’s reputation considering our integrity built up over many decades of holding free and fair elections within the party and nationally.
“This is a mess, and this has never happened to our knowledge in recent history at the FNM.
“The upcoming Free National Movement one-day national convention scheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2024, should be a free and fair exercise in democracy, and there should be no perceived or real evidence of unfairness in the voting process and any act of padding or fixing the register of voters should be discouraged. The Most Hon. Dr Hubert Minnis campaign seeks a free and fair campaign and voting process.”
Miller said the Minnis campaign has several issues: the continuation of the constituency association election in Free Town, allowing “well-known supporters of Pintard” who are seeking election on June 1 to speak directly to voting delegates at constituency association meetings, and the appointment of Pintard supporters to the convention committee.
He also said the Minnis campaign has yet to receive the official list of voting delegates. Minnis led the FNM from May 9, 2012, to 27 November 2021.
As leader, he took the party to government, winning 35 of the 39 parliamentary seats in the 2017 General Election to unseat Prime Minister Perry Christie and the Progressive Labour Party.
Minnis’ one term as prime minister was marred by two major crises—the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian and the coronavirus pandemic.
He became increasingly unpopular, and a snap election in September 2021 saw him removed from office. Minnis left the political leader post shortly after his election defeat.
Michael Pintard replaced Minnis at the following convention leadership, receiving 67 percent of the votes cast.
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