Davis, PLP reelected in Bahamas landslide election victory
Key Points(5)
- Before becoming prime minister in 2021, he served as deputy prime minister under former leader Perry Christie and held multiple ministerial portfolios, including public works and urban development.
- Before the election, the party held 32 of 39 seats in the House of Assembly.
- Minnis, who governed through the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, had been a central figure in the opposition FNM for years.
- After the party declined to re-nominate him as its candidate, he launched an independent bid in an attempt to reclaim his longtime constituency, which he had held for nearly two decades.
- He ultimately fell short, with the seat going to FNM candidate Michela Barnett-Ellis.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start"></div> </div> </div> </section></div> </div> </div> <p data-start="2412" data-end="2726"></p>
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis and his governing Progressive Liberal Party secured a decisive reelection on Tuesday, positioning Davis to become the first Bahamian leader in nearly three decades to win back-to-back terms in office.
A veteran lawyer and longtime parliamentarian, Davis has represented the constituency of Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador for several terms. Before becoming prime minister in 2021, he served as deputy prime minister under former leader Perry Christie and held multiple ministerial portfolios, including public works and urban development. A King’s Counsel by profession, Davis has been a central figure in the PLP for years and took over party leadership in 2017, steering it back into government after five years in opposition.
“The Bahamian people have spoken, and I receive their verdict with humility and gratitude,” Davis said in comments to Reuters after the results were announced.
He framed the outcome as a renewed mandate focused on economic opportunity, public safety, and easing financial pressure on households across the archipelago. “This victory is a mandate to keep moving the Bahamas forward, to expand opportunity, strengthen security, ease the pressure on families, and deliver progress across our islands,” he added.
Davis called the election months ahead of its constitutionally scheduled October timeline. Officials in the prime minister’s office said the early vote was intended to reduce uncertainty ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, which regularly disrupts national planning and infrastructure readiness.
Preliminary results showed the PLP on track to win more than 30 of the 41 parliamentary seats, expanding on its previous dominance. Before the election, the party held 32 of 39 seats in the House of Assembly. Two additional constituencies were added following boundary adjustments recommended by the independent constituencies commission, both of which were also captured by the PLP.
The opposition Free National Movement, led by Michael Pintard, appeared headed for a reduced presence in Parliament, projected to secure only about eight seats. Pintard confirmed that both the party’s chairman and deputy leader had lost their respective constituencies.
Among the high-profile defeats was former NBA player Rick Fox, who contested the Garden Hills seat for the FNM but was defeated by incumbent Mario Bowleg, a former minister of youth, sports and culture.
PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper and Pintard both retained their seats despite broader shifts in the parliamentary balance.
The result also marked another political setback for former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, a physician by training who led the country from 2017 until his defeat in 2021. Minnis, who governed through the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, had been a central figure in the opposition FNM for years. After the party declined to re-nominate him as its candidate, he launched an independent bid in an attempt to reclaim his longtime constituency, which he had held for nearly two decades. He ultimately fell short, with the seat going to FNM candidate Michela Barnett-Ellis.
