The Bahamas obtained independence from Great Britain on July 10, 1973. The Bahamas retains ties with the Commonwealth of Nations (former British colonies).

The Governor-General is the Queen’s representative and serves at Her Majesty’s pleasure, signs bills into law once they are passed by the House of Assembly and the Senate and opens Parliament.

The legislative branch of the government is a bicameral Parliament consisting of a Senate and a House of Assembly which are located downtown in Parliament Square. The Senate has 16 members, nine appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, four on the advice of the leader of the oppostion and three on the advice of the Prime Minister in consultation with the leader of the opposition.

The House of Assembly makes the laws of The Bahamas. It is the equivalent of Britain’s House of Commons. The House of Assembly must have at least 38 elected members. This number may be increased on the recommendation of the Constituencies Commission which reviews electoral boundaries. There are presently 40 Members of Parliament (MP) made up of 24 New Providence constituencies and 16 Family Island constituencies.

The executive branch of government consists of a Cabinet of at least nine members including the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General. All ministers must be members of Parliament and the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance must be Members of the House of Assembly.

An independent judiciary is provided for in the constitution and consists of a Supreme Court and a Court of Appeal along with the right to appeal to Her Majesty’s Privy Council in England.

Elections are held every five years (or earlier if Parliament is dissloved by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister ). The last general election was held on May 2, 2002. The next general election is set for 2007. In the Family Islands, local government elections are held every three years. The last local government elections were held on Jun 27, 2002.

To register in The Bahamas, a voter must:
• Be a citizen of The Bahamas, by birth or naturalization and age 18 or older confirmed by a birth certificate or passport before first time voting.
• Not be legally incapacitated such as in prison or a mental instituition.
• Been resident in the consituency for three months before registration. Students attending school abroad are exempted from this.

To register:
• Apply to the Parliamentary Commissioner’s Office, old NIB building Farrington Rd or to a revising officer or administrator in the Family Islands.
• A voter must have been resident in his old constituency for some period during the six months before elctions day. If a voter has moved to a new constituency and lived there less than six months he is entitled to vote in his old constituency if he was registered there.