NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Commissioner of Police, Shanta Knowles, acting in her capacity as Provost Marshall, has read the proclamation from Governor General, Cynthia Pratt, officially dissolving the Parliament ahead of the May 12 general election.
“In exercise of the powers conferred upon the Governor General by article 66, subsection 2, of the constitution, and acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, I, Dame Cynthia A. Pratt, Governor General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, do hereby proclaim that Parliament shall be and is hereby dissolved on Wednesday, the 8th day of April, 2026,” Knowles said.
The next session is set to begin on May 20, 2026
Chairman of the ruling Progressive Labor Party (PLP), Fred Mitchell, said the writs of election will be issued on Thursday, expressing confidence that the PLP, which will face a challenge from the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM), will be returned to office.
“I expect to have a peaceful election. I’ve said to all of our supporters, let us enjoy the campaign, even as we disagree with those of our citizens who do not support us.
“We think that in the years that we’ve been in government, we’ve made reasonable progress in making sure that the country has grown, expanded, and the opportunities are greater than they were four and a half years ago.”
Mitchell said that this is the case the PLP is going to make, and “I expect that case to be successful, and my hope and expectation is that we’ll return to government”. Prime Minister Philip Davis called the election 7 months before the constitutional deadline.
In the September 16, 2021, general elections, Davis led the then-opposition PLP to a convincing victory over the then-ruling FNM, winning 32 of the 39 seats in the Parliament.
Meanwhile, a member of the PLP and outgoing Southern Shores representative, Leroy Major, says he will contest the election as an independent candidate after he failed to be nominated as the party’s candidate for the election.
“I will be running as an independent in the next election on May 12th,” he told The Nassau Guardian newspaper, adding, “Let me say, I want to thank the people of Southern Shores for trusting me, for allowing me to serve them and to be their voice.
“Unfortunately, things had a turn with the party, and I appreciate my PLP party, but this time around, I want to continue to serve my people,” said Major, who was first elected to Parliament in 2021.
Both parties have announced plans to stage rallies on Saturday: the PLP at R.M. Bailey Park and the FNM on Grand Bahama.
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