Week 3

CHOOSING A GOVERNMENT
Our country, The Bahamas, is divided into voting areas called constituencies. These areas are defined
by Parliament. There are 38 constituencies in The Bahamas as of 2012. A Member of Parliament
(MP) is elected for each constituency.
Citizen of each constituency have the right, by voting, to decide who should lead or represent them.
However, not every citizen may vote a voter must be at least 18 years old. At this age a person is
considered mature enough to make important national decisions. People who are mentally ill are not
allowed to vote because they are not considered able to make important national decisions.
Prisoners are also denied the right to vote as part of their punishment.
Once you are eligible or able to vote, you should register (an official list or record of names) your
name and prove your citizenship. Your name is then added to the voter's list.
Political parties
The first formal political party was the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), formed in 1953. Then in
1958, the United Bahamian Party (UBP) was formed,
Voters may vote for only one of the candidates in an election. Most candidates belong to a political
party. Each party has its own idea about how the country should be run, and these ideas are stated as
policies. Some people have some ideas of what to expect from a party if it wins an election and forms
the Government.
Most democratic countries have two main parties. In The Bahamas the two major parties are the
Progressive liberal Party (PLP), and the Free National Movement (FNM). Other parties include:
Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and Independents
Nomination
Our constitution states that an election must be held every five years, although it may be more
frequently than this. Parliament must be dissolved 21 to 26 days before the date of a general election.
This gives each party enough time to prepare its case for election. On nomination day the candidates
for each party must submit their names and pay a deposit of money ($400) to the constituency office.
If the candidate wins at least one-sixth of all the votes in the constituency, he or she gets the deposit
back.
Run-up to a general election: (1) government dissolved, (2) election day announce,
(3) nomination day, (4) campaign, (5) election day.

Campaigning for elections

In an election campaign, every constituency has meetings or rallies at which candidates tell the
people about their party's policies and their plans of the future. They explain what they will try to
do if they are elected. The different candidates have posters made to advertise themselves and
to try to influence people to vote for them. There are also radio and television broadcasts, and
newspaper articles, in which the candidates and the political parties set out their policies.
Election Day
On Election Day, the sale of alcohol is banned to make sure that every voter thinks clearly before
voting. Schools, church halls, and other public buildings are used as polling stations, where
people go to vote. At the polling station each voter shows his or her voter's card, which is proof of
registration, and the voter's name is crossed off the voter's list. This is to ensure that each voter
votes only once.
The voter is then given a special ballot and then enters the polling booth. There the voter marks an
X on the ballot beside the name of the candidate he or she is supporting, folds the paper over, and
drops it into the ballot box. This is a secret ballot, which means that no one else knows how the
voter votes.
When the polling stations are closed, the votes are counted for the first time. This is called
preliminary return. Votes are counted in front of many people to make sure that there is no
cheating. A day or two later the votes are counted again to double-check the results. The
candidate who wins most votes secures the constituency for his or her party. The party that wins
most constituencies, or seats in Parliament, wins the election, and becomes the government
party.
Prorogue to close a session of Parliament or a new agenda.
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant.
Usually, a by-election occurs when the incumbent has died or resigned. It may also occur when the
incumbent becomes ineligible to continue in office, for example because of a serious criminal
conviction, failure to maintain a minimum attendance, bankruptcy or mental incapacity. A byelection is very important because every constituent in a constituency needs to have their voice
heard in parliament.
Manifesto -