Prime Minister of the Bahamas
The prime minister of The Bahamas is the head of government of The Bahamas. The prime minister is formally appointed into office by the Governor-General of The Bahamas, who represents Charles III, the King of The Bahamas (the Bahamian head of state).
| Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the prime minister of the Bahamas | |
 | |
| Government Cabinet | |
| Style | The Most Honourable |
| Type | Head of government |
| Abbreviation | PM |
| Seat | Nassau |
| Appointer | Governor-General |
| Term length | At the governor-general's pleasure (normally 5 years) |
| Precursor | Premier of the Bahamas Islands |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Lynden Pindling |
| Formation | 10 May 1969 |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas |
| Salary | 86,000 BSD annually[1] |
| Website | bahamas.gov.bs |
The following article contains a list of prime ministers of The Bahamas, from the establishment of the position of chief minister of the Bahamas Islands in 1955 to the present day.
Constitutional basis
Under section 72 of the Constitution of The Bahamas, the Governor-General of The Bahamas must appoint "the member of the House of Assembly who is the leader of the party which commands the support of the majority of the members of that House". In the event of a hung parliament, the governor-general should appoint the member who is "most likely tocommand the support of the majority of members of that House".[2]
Official oath of office
I, _________________________, being appointed Prime Minister, do swear that I will to the best of my judgment, at all times when so required, freely give my counsel and advice to the Governor-General (or any other person for the time being lawfully performing the functions of that office) for the good management of the public affairs of the Bahamas, and I do further swear that I will not on any account, at any time whatsoever, disclose the counsel, advice, opinion or vote of any particular Minister or Parliamentary Secretary and that I will not, except with the authority of the Cabinet and to such extent as may be required for the good management of the affairs of the Bahamas, directly or indirectly reveal the business or proceedings of the Cabinet or the nature or contents of any documents communicated to me as Prime Minister or any matter coming to my knowledge in my capacity as such, and that in all things I will be a true and faithful Prime Minister. So help me God.
Office of the Prime Minister
The prime minister of the Bahamas is the head of the government of The Bahamas. The duties of the prime minister include:
- Office of the Prime Minister
- Department of Lands and Surveys
- Government Printing Department
- Department of Statistics
- Bahamas Information Services
- National Economic Council
- Promotion and facilitation of investment
- Development in the Family Islands
Agencies under the prime minister include:
- Department of Lands and Surveys
- Lands and Surveying
- Acquiring Land
- Department of Local Government
- Relations with Local Government Agencies
- Local improvement associations
List of heads of government of the Bahamas (1955–present)
Chief minister of the Bahamas Islands (1955–1964)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Election | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | .svg) | Sir Roland Symonette (1898–1980) | 1962 | 1955 | 7 January 1964 | 9 years | United Bahamian Party |
Premiers of the Bahamas Islands (1964–1969)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Election | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| (1) | .svg) | Sir Roland Symonette (1898–1980) | — | 7 January 1964 | 16 January 1967 | 3 years, 9 days | United Bahamian Party |
| 2 |  | Lynden Pindling (1930–2000) | 1967 1968 | 16 January 1967 | 10 May 1969 | 2 years, 114 days | Progressive Liberal Party |
Prime minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Islands (1969–1973)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Election | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | | Lynden Pindling (1930–2000) | 1972 | 10 May 1969 | 10 July 1973 | 4 years, 61 days | Progressive Liberal Party |
Prime ministers of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (1973–present)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Election | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | | Lynden Pindling (1930–2000) | 1977 1982 1987 | 10 July 1973 | 21 August 1992 | 19 years, 42 days | Progressive Liberal Party |
| 2 |  | Hubert Ingraham (born 1947) | 1992 1997 | 21 August 1992 | 3 May 2002 | 9 years, 255 days | Free National Movement |
| 3 | .jpg) | Perry Christie (born 1943) | 2002 | 3 May 2002 | 4 May 2007 | 5 years, 1 day | Progressive Liberal Party |
| (2) | | Hubert Ingraham (born 1947) | 2007 | 4 May 2007 | 8 May 2012 | 5 years, 4 days | Free National Movement |
| (3) | | Perry Christie (born 1943) | 2012 | 8 May 2012 | 11 May 2017 | 5 years, 3 days | Progressive Liberal Party |
| 4 |  | Hubert Minnis (born 1954) | 2017 | 11 May 2017 | 17 September 2021 | 4 years, 128 days | Free National Movement |
| 5 |  | Philip Davis (born 1951) | 2021 | 17 September 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 225 days | Progressive Liberal Party |
Deputy prime ministers
- Arthur Dion "A.D" Hanna 1967–1984
- Clement T. Maynard 1985–1992
- Orville Turnquest 1992–1995
- Frank Watson 1995–2002
- Cynthia A. Pratt 2002–2007
- Brent Symonette 2007–2012
- Philip Davis 2012–2017
- Peter Turnquest 2017–2020
- Desmond Bannister 2020–2021
- Chester Cooper 2021–present
See also
References
- http://www.rulers.org/rulb1.html#bahamas
- https://web.archive.org/web/20041017033939/http://www.hk-bahamas.de/en/parties.php
- http://www.politicalresources.net/bahamas.htm
- Guinness Book of Kings Rulers & Statesmen, Clive Carpenter, Guinness Superlatives Ltd