The main opposition in The Bahamas, Free National Movement (FNM), says it will move to formally remove former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis as a member of the party following his decision to contest the Killarney seat as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election.
FNM chairman Dr. Duane Sands confirmed that the process to expel Minnis will be initiated but said it will not be handled immediately, insisting the party is focused on broader campaign priorities.
“There’s a process and that process will take place when it takes place, but we have far more important things than to worry about Dr. Minnis,” Sands said. “Dr. Minnis is going to be defeated in Killarney and we have no interest in giving him any oxygen because this is all attention-seeking behaviour.”
Minnis, who led the FNM to a landslide victory in 2017 before the party’s defeat in 2021, formally entered the Killarney race last week as an independent candidate. He will face the FNM’s Michela Barnett-Ellis, the Progressive Liberal Party’s Robyn Lynes, and the Coalition of Independents’ Dr. Veronica McIver.
Under a constitutional amendment ratified by the party in February 2022, any member who runs against an official FNM candidate is deemed to have resigned, paving the way for Minnis’ removal.
Dr. Sands said the formal steps would eventually follow, but emphasized that the party would not be distracted during the campaign period.
He also noted that while Minnis’ membership status may change, his place in the party’s history remains intact.
“The historical reality of Dr. Hubert Minnis as the prime minister and leader of the Free National Movement doesn’t change,” Sands said. “We don’t tend to rewrite history.”
Minnis, however, has pushed back strongly since breaking with the party, accusing its leadership of launching personal attacks against him and his wife and limiting his participation in party activities.
At his campaign launch earlier this month, he defended his decision to run independently, citing a long-standing connection to the constituency.
“I have had a bond with Killarney for more than 20 years, even though the FNM abandoned me, I never abandoned Killarney,” he said. “I would not abandon the great and loyal people of this wonderful constituency.”
