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Caribbean Islands Government and Politics
The Governmental System
In the late 1980s, the Bahamas had a democratic system based on the
British Westminster parliamentary model of government. The 1973
Constitution proclaims the Bahamas a sovereign democratic state;
sets requirements for citizenship; guarantees fundamental human
rights; establishes the executive, legislative, and judicial
branches of government; and creates three civil service
commissions: the Public Service Commission, the Judicial and Legal
Commission, and the Police Service Commission. Although an
independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1973, the
Bahamas retains the British monarch as its chief of state,
represented in the Bahamas by an appointed governor general (see
Appendix B).
Chapter III (Articles 15-28) of the Constitution details the
protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the Bahamas,
including the right to life, liberty, security, and protection of
the law; freedom of conscience, expression, assembly, and
association; and protection of the privacy of the home and other
property from deprivation without compensation. Moreover, the
Constitution provides for protection of these rights and freedoms
without discrimination based on race, national origin, political
opinion, color, creed, or sex. These provisions were not just
theoretical considerations but were actually carried out in
practice, according to the Department of State's Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices for 1986.
Constitutional amendments require a combination of an act of
Parliament and popular referendum. Entrenched constitutional
provisions, such as those relating to the establishment of the
civil service or the qualifications for members of Parliament,
require a two-thirds majority in both houses and passage by a
popular referendum. Specially entrenched provisions, such as those
relating to citizenship, fundamental rights, and the establishment
and powers of Parliament, the cabinet, and the judiciary, require
a three-fourths majority in both houses and passage by referendum.
Parliament consists of a bicameral legislature made up of the
sixteen-member Senate and the forty-nine-member House of Assembly.
Parliament also technically includes the British monarch
represented by the governor general, but that individual serves no
real function in the daily parliamentary process. Under the
Constitution, Parliament may make laws for the peace and good
government of the Bahamas. Laws are generally enacted by Parliament
in the following manner. A bill is introduced in the House of
Assembly, read three times, debated, and, if passed, becomes an
act. The act is read three times in the Senate and then sent to the
governor general. The governor general signs the act, which upon
being published in the official journal of the government becomes
a law. Bills may officially be introduced in either house of
Parliament, except for money bills, which may only be introduced in
the House of Assembly, and may be passed with or without amendment,
subject to the agreement of both houses.
The House of Assembly elects one member from each of fortythree constituencies or single-member districts for terms not to
exceed five years. The House of Assembly performs all major
legislative functions. The leader of the majority party in the
House is appointed prime minister by the governor general, and the
leader of the major opposition party is designated as leader of the
opposition. The House of Assembly elects a speaker and a deputy
speaker to preside over the House.
The number of constituencies is established in Article 68 of
the Constitution, but Article 70 mandates a procedural review of
these constituencies at least every five years. The Constituencies
Commission reviews the number and boundaries of the constituencies,
taking into account the number of voters, the needs of sparsely
populated areas, and the ability of elected members to maintain
contact with voters from a wide geographic area. The Constituencies
Commission consists of the speaker of the House of Assembly, a
justice of the Supreme Court, and three members of the House of
Assembly--two from the majority party and one from the opposition.
The 1973 Constitution first established thirty-eight
constituencies. That number was increased to forty-three in time
for the 1982 elections and to forty-nine for the 1987 elections.
The Senate is appointed by the governor general. Nine members
are chosen on the advice of the prime minister, four on the
recommendation of the leader of the opposition, and the remaining
three on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with
the leader of the opposition. The Senate has limited functions in
the parliamentary process. It elects a president and a vice
president to preside over its proceedings.
The executive authority of government officially rests with the
British monarch, represented by the governor general. The general
direction and control of government, however, are vested in a
cabinet, led by the prime minister, who serves as the chief
executive of the government. The cabinet also consists of at least
eight other ministers, including the attorney general, who are
drawn from the membership of Parliament. In late 1987, the cabinet
consisted of the Office of the Attorney General and the heads of
eleven ministries: agriculture, trade, and industry; education;
employment and immigration; finance; foreign affairs; health;
housing and national insurance; tourism; transport and local
government; works and utilities; and youth, sports, and community
affairs. The minister of finance must be a member of the House of
Assembly. If the attorney general is appointed from the Senate, no
more than two other ministers may be drawn from the ranks of the
Senate; if the attorney general is from the House of Assembly,
however, three ministers may be chosen from the Senate. A number of
parliamentary secretaries are also appointed from the membership of
Parliament to assist the ministers. Permanent secretaries also
serve in the ministries; they are appointed by the Public Service
Commission to these highest civil service positions.
Institutionally, the cabinet collectively is responsible to
Parliament. The prime minister is responsible for keeping the
governor general informed of the general conduct of the government.
The judiciary of the Bahamas is independent of executive
control. It consists of the Court of Appeal at the highest level,
followed by the Supreme Court, magistrate is courts, and Family
Islands commissioners, who often act as magistrates. The Court of
Appeal consists of a president and two other justices. If needed,
a final appeal may be made to the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council in London. Bahamian law is based on English common law, but
a large body of Bahamian statute law also exists.
Local government in the Family Islands falls administratively
under the Department of Local Government of the cabinet's Ministry
of Transport and Local Government. The Family Islands are divided
into nineteen districts administered by twenty-three commissioners
appointed by the government and supervised from Nassau. Several of
the larger islands with relatively greater populations are split up
into several districts (see table 9, Appendix A). In addition to
the commissioners, elected House of Assembly members often deal
with local matters, thereby filling the void created by the absence
of an elected local government.
Data as of November 1987
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