A government is the body within a community, political entity or organization

which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws, and regulations

The purpose of a government is to provide for the safety and protection of the
citizens. It protects the nation from foreign and domestic enemies and violence,
provides services like post office, fire protection, state and local police, armed
forces, and regulates things like interstate commerce and trade with other nations.
A government also has the obligation to protect the rights of the citizens, though
not all governments do that. A national government must protect the rights of
citizens and of states' rights. The government's functions are to provide social
order, security, public services, and economic systems for the citizens.

The politics of the Bahamas takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative

democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-
party system. The Bahamas is an independent country and Commonwealth Realm. It is a
parliamentary democracy whose political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United
Kingdom. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both
the government and the two chambers of parliament. The party system is dominated by the
Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement. Constitutional safeguards include
freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. The Bahamas is a member of the
eastern Caribbean court system. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the
legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Political developments
• 2 Executive branch
• 3 Legislative branch
• 4 Political parties and elections

• 5 International organization participation

[edit] Political developments

In the first half of the 20th century, the Bahamas was largely controlled by a group of influential
white merchants known as the "Bay Street Boys", who dominated both the economy and the
legislature. Executive power rested with the British governor-in-council.
The Progressive Liberal Party was formed in 1953 to represent the disenfranchised black
majority and this led to the formation of the United Bahamian Party by the Bay Street Boys. In
1964 the British gave the Bahamas internal self-governance and the white UBP leader Roland
Symonette became the country's first premier. In 1967, under the leadership of a young black
lawyer named Lynden Pindling, the PLP were elected and went on to lead The Bahamas into
independence in 1973.

A coalition of PLP dissidents and former UBP members formed the Free National Movement
(FNM) in 1971 under the leadership of Cecil Wallace Whitfield. After Whitfield's death in 1990,
another ex-PLP, Hubert Ingraham, became leader of the FNM and took the party to victory in the
1992 general election. The FNM was re-elected by a landslide in 1997, but lost to a resurgent
PLP, under the leadership of his former law partner Perry Christie, in 2002. Ingraham turned the
party leadership over to Tommy Turnquest in 2002, but in 2007 he returned to lead the FNM to
victory again by a five-seat margin.

Among the country's biggest challenges are the privatization of costly and inefficient state-
owned corporations, the retraining of hundreds of workers who will be affected by the change,
decisions on ways to diversify tax revenues away from import tariffs and license fees, and
opening the economy to international trade agreements.

[edit] Executive branch

The Bahamas is a constitutional monarchy based on the Westminster system of parliamentary
government. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. She is represented ceremonially by a
Bahamian governor-general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet.

The leader of the majority party in parliament serves as prime minister and head of government.
The cabinet consists of at least nine members, including the prime minister and ministers of
executive departments. They answer politically to the lower House of Assembly.

The governor-general appoints the chief justice of the Supreme Court on the advice of the prime
minister and leader of the opposition. Other justices are appointed on the advice of a judicial
commission. The Privy Council in London serves as the highest appellate court for the Bahamas.

Main office holders

Office Name Party Since

Queen Elizabeth II 6 February 1952

Governor- Hon. Arthur Dion Hanna 1 February 2006

General

Prime Minister Hubert A. Ingraham FNM 2 May 2007

[edit] Legislative branch

Bahamian Parliament, located in downtown Nassau

The House of Assembly consists of 41 members, elected from individual constituencies for five-
year terms. As under the Westminster system, the government may dissolve the parliament and
call elections at any time. The House of Assembly performs all major legislative functions.

The Senate consists of 16 members appointed by the governor-general, including nine on the
advice of the prime minister, four on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and three on the
advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition.

Political parties and elections

For other political parties see List of political parties in the Bahamas. An overview on elections
and election results is included in Elections in the Bahamas.

e•d Summary of the 2 May 2007 House of Assembly of the Bahamas election results

Parties Votes % Seats

Free National Movement 68,542 49.86 23

Progressive Liberal Party 64,637 47.02 18

Bahamas Democratic Movement 741 0.54 0

Independents 3,555 2.59 0

Total 137,475 41

Source: BBC News

A constitution is a set of rules for government—often codified as a written

document—that enumerates the powers and functions of a political entity. These
rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is. In the case of countries
and autonomous regions of federal countries the term refers specifically to a
constitution defining the fundamental political principles, and establishing the
structure, procedures, powers and duties, of a government. By limiting the
government's own reach, most constitutions guarantee certain rights to the people.
The term constitution can be applied to any overall system of law that defines the
functioning of a government, including several uncodified historical constitutions
that existed before the development of modern codified constitutions.

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves
as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation,
commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes personifying
the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers,
functions and duties granted to the head of state in the country's constitution and
laws. In nation states the head of state is often thought of as the official "leader" of
the nation. In parliamentary systems the head of state may be merely the nominal
chief executive officer of the state, possessing executive power (hence the
description of the United Kingdom monarch's government as His/Her Majesty's
Government; a term indicating that all power belongs to the sovereign and the
government acts on Her Majesty's behalf, not parliament's). In reality however,
following a process of constitutional evolution, powers are usually only exercised by
direction of a cabinet, presided over by a prime minister who is answerable to the
legislature. This accountability requires that someone be chosen from parliament
who has parliament's support (or, at least, not parliament's opposition - a subtle but
important difference). It also gives parliament the right to vote down the
government, forcing it either to resign or seek a parliamentary dissolution.
Governments are thus said to be responsible (or answerable) to parliament, with
the government in turn accepting constitutional responsibility for offering
constitutional advice to the head of state.

A Governor General, is a vice-regal representative of a monarch in an independent

realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of
the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal
governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.[1]

A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a

legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since
senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and
ruling class.

The Bahamian Parliament is a bicameral body that, in its organisation and functions, closely
follows the canons of the Westminster system. It meets in Nassau, the capital.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 House of Assembly
o 1.1 Latest election
• 2 Senate

• 3 See also

[edit] House of Assembly

The House of Assembly is the lower chamber. It consists of 41 members, elected from individual
constituencies for five-year terms. As under the Westminster system, the government may
dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time. The House of Assembly performs all
major legislative functions. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party controlling the majority
of the House of Assembly seats. The speaker of the House of Assembly is currently Mr. Alvin
Smith.