Bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the Governor-General upon the advice of the Prime Minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (39 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time.
See the Political System page for more information on the political offices and powers.
Leaders
Queen Elizabeth II Queen of the Bahamas Marguerite Pindling Governor-General Perry Christie Prime Minister Minister of Finance MP: Centerville Loretta Turner-Butler Long Island Leader of the Opposition Members of Parliament and Ministers
These are the politicians Bahamians voted into office.
Bernard Nottage Bain Town & Grants Town Minister of National Security Renward Wells Bamboo Town Daniel Johnson Carmichael Minister of Youth Sports & Culture Perry Christie Centerville Prime Minister Minister of Finance Ryan Pinder Elizabeth Glenys Hanna Martin Englerston Minister of Transport Andre Rollins Fort Charlotte Frederick Mitchell Fox Hill Minister of Foreign Affairs Kendal Major Garden Hills Speaker of the House of Assembly Shane Gibson Golden Gates Minister of Labor & National Insurance Michael Halkitis Golden Isles Minister of State of Finance Hubert Minnis Killarney Leader of the FNM Jerome Fitzgerald Marathon Minister of Education Richard Lightbourn Montagu Arnold Forbes Mount Moriah Chairman of BAIC & Ambassador for Trade to Caricom Dion Smith Nassau Village Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly Executive Chairman of BAIC Michael Darville Pineridge Minister of Grand Bahama Khaalis Rolle Pinewood Hope Strachan Seabreeze Minister of Financial Services Cleola Hamilton South Beach President of the Nurses Union Kenred Dorsett Southern Shores Minister of the Environment & Housing Hubert Chipman St. Anne's Leslie Miller Tall Pines Former BEC Executive Chariman Melanie Griffin Yamacraw Minister of Social Services & Community Development Philip Brave Davis Cat Island, Rum Cay & San Salvador Deputy Prime Minister / Minister of Works & Urban Development Edison Key Central & South Abaco Damian Gomez Central & South Eleuthera Neko Grant Central Grand Bahama Peter Turnquest East Grand Bahama Anthony Moss Exumas & Ragged Island Loretta Turner-Butler Long Island Leader of the Opposition Picewell Forbes Mangrove Cay & South Andros Greg Moss Marco City Alfred Gray M.I.C.A.L.* Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources, & Local Government Renardo Curry North Abaco Parliamentary Secretary Perry Gomez North Andros & Berry Islands Minister of Health Theo Neilly North Eleuthera Obediah Wilchcombe West Grand Bahama & Bimini Minister of Tourism Party Breakdown for House of Assembly
* Mayaguana, Inagua (Great & Little), Crooked Island, Acklins, & Long Cay
Senators
The Senate consists of 16 members called Senators. These Senators are not elected, rather, they are appointed by the Governor-General after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
Allyson Maynard Gibson Senator Attorney General Minister of Legal Affairs Sharon Wilson Senator President of the Senate Joseph Curry Senator Vice President of the Senate Keith Bell Senator Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security Gregory Burrows Senator Jerome Gomez Senator Robyn Lynes Senator Julian Russell Senator Gary Sawyer Senator Chairman Frank Smith Senator Henry Storr Senator Tanisha Tynes Senator Branville McCartney Senator Leader of the DNA Monique Gomez Senator Jude Knowles Senator Rodney Moncur Senator Party Breakdown for Senate