Bahamian general election, 2002
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in the Bahamas on 2 May 2002. The opposition Progressive Liberal Party
(PLP) won 29 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly to defeat the governing Free National Movement
(FNM). Voter turnout was 90.2%.
the Free National Movement came to power after defeating the then governing Progressive Liberal Party. Their leader Hubert Ingraham
served as Prime Minister from 1992 until he announced his intention to step down as Prime Minister at the 2002 general election. Tommy Turnquest was then narrowly elected as the next leader of the FNM and would be the party's candidate for Prime Minister at the election.
The FNM government suffered a setback in February 2002 when an attempt to amend the constitution was rejected in a referendum
. The referendum had been contested between the two main parties after the PLP reversed their earlier support and campaigned against the changes.
s.
The FNM defended their time in government, pointing to the strong economic growth over the period and the large amount of foreign investment that had come into the Bahamas. Their new leader Tommy Turnquest pledged to continue as they had been doing under Hubert Ingraham. However the opposition PLP criticised the FNM as being out of touch and attacked them for being too quick to comply with the OECD
's Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering
. The PLP said that they would help the less well off and develop islands they said had been neglected by the FNM.
Both parties made fierce attacks on each other with the FNM reminding voters of the scandals over drug money that had led to the PLP losing power back in 1992. Meanwhile the PLP accused the FNM's Tommy Turnquest of corruption over the awarding of government contracts. Despite the harsh campaign, outside commentators expected little change in policies whichever party was successful in the election.
There was no trouble on election day, with schools and liquor stores being closed and polling station
s seeing a high turnout
.
ministers to lose their seats. The leader of the PLP, Perry Christie
, became the new Prime Minister of the Bahamas on 3 May 2002.
Progressive Liberal Party
The Progressive Liberal Party is a populist party in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas commonly abbreviated PLP. The PLP lies on the left of the political spectrum....
(PLP) won 29 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly to defeat the governing Free National Movement
Free National Movement
The Free National Movement is a socially liberal and economically conservative political party in The Bahamas. It is currently the ruling party, winning 23 of the 41 seats in the Bahamas House of Assembly on May 2, 2007; two of these seats are currently being contested in Electorial Court by the...
(FNM). Voter turnout was 90.2%.
Background
In the 1992 electionBahamian general election, 1992
General elections were held in the Bahamas on 19 August 1992. Although the ruling Progressive Liberal Party won 55.1% of the vote, the Free National Movement won 33 of the 49 seats. Voter turnout was 91.1%.-Results:...
the Free National Movement came to power after defeating the then governing Progressive Liberal Party. Their leader Hubert Ingraham
Hubert Ingraham
Hubert Alexander Ingraham is the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. He first served as Prime Minister from August 1992 until May 2002 and became Prime Minister again in 2007. He is a member of the Free National Movement Party . The Rt. Hon. Hubert A...
served as Prime Minister from 1992 until he announced his intention to step down as Prime Minister at the 2002 general election. Tommy Turnquest was then narrowly elected as the next leader of the FNM and would be the party's candidate for Prime Minister at the election.
The FNM government suffered a setback in February 2002 when an attempt to amend the constitution was rejected in a referendum
Bahamian referendum, 2002
A multiple referendum with five questions was held in the Bahamas on 27 February 2002. Voters were asked whether they approved of:#the removal of gender discrimination from the constitution...
. The referendum had been contested between the two main parties after the PLP reversed their earlier support and campaigned against the changes.
Campaign
A record 132 candidates stood in the election for the 40 seats in the House of Assembly that were being contested. These were from 4 political parties and included 40 from the governing FNM and 37 from the opposition PLP. As well as the candidates from political parties there were also 14 independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
s.
The FNM defended their time in government, pointing to the strong economic growth over the period and the large amount of foreign investment that had come into the Bahamas. Their new leader Tommy Turnquest pledged to continue as they had been doing under Hubert Ingraham. However the opposition PLP criticised the FNM as being out of touch and attacked them for being too quick to comply with the OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
's Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering
Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering
The Financial Action Task Force , also known by its French name, Groupe d'action financière , is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7. The purpose of the FATF is to develop policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing...
. The PLP said that they would help the less well off and develop islands they said had been neglected by the FNM.
Both parties made fierce attacks on each other with the FNM reminding voters of the scandals over drug money that had led to the PLP losing power back in 1992. Meanwhile the PLP accused the FNM's Tommy Turnquest of corruption over the awarding of government contracts. Despite the harsh campaign, outside commentators expected little change in policies whichever party was successful in the election.
There was no trouble on election day, with schools and liquor stores being closed and polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s seeing a high turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
.
Results
The results saw the PLP win over half of the vote and 29 of the seats in the House of Assembly. The FNM conceded defeat, with their leader Tommy Turnquest being one of several cabinetCabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
ministers to lose their seats. The leader of the PLP, Perry Christie
Perry Christie
Perry Gladstone Christie is a Bahamian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of the Bahamas from 2002 to 2007...
, became the new Prime Minister of the Bahamas on 3 May 2002.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Liberal Party Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party is a populist party in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas commonly abbreviated PLP. The PLP lies on the left of the political spectrum.... |
66,901 | 51.8 | 29 | |
| Free National Movement Free National Movement The Free National Movement is a socially liberal and economically conservative political party in The Bahamas. It is currently the ruling party, winning 23 of the 41 seats in the Bahamas House of Assembly on May 2, 2007; two of these seats are currently being contested in Electorial Court by the... |
52,807 | 40.9 | 7 | |
| Bahamas Democratic Movement Bahamas Democratic Movement The Bahamas Democratic Movement was a liberal populist political party in the Bahamas without parliamentary representation.-Party formation:... |
414 | 0.32 | 0 | New |
| BCP | 12 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| SUR | 10 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 6,272 | 4.9 | 4 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,349 | |||
| Total | 130,536 | 100 | 40 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen | ||||