Bahamas Re-elects Prime Minister Philip Davis and Progressive Liberal Party
Reuters
Philip Davis and the Progressive Liberal Party have been re-elected in the Bahamas, marking the first time in nearly 30 years a leader has served two consecutive terms. Davis called the early election before the Atlantic hurricane season, and his party is projected to win over 30 of 41 parliamentary seats.
Prime Minister Philip Davis and his ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) have been re-elected, making Davis the first leader of the Bahamas in nearly 30 years to serve two consecutive terms.
“The people of the Bahamas have spoken, and I accept their verdict with humility and gratitude,” Davis told Reuters. “This victory is a mandate to continue moving the Bahamas forward, expanding opportunity, strengthening security, easing pressures on families, and delivering development across our islands.”
The election was held earlier than the expected October date, as Davis decided to call it before the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, according to an official in his office. This is not the first time: the 2021 election that brought Davis to power was also held early and was the first in nearly 25 years that Bahamian voters cast ballots in a month other than May.
Davis’s party is on track to win more than 30 of the 41 seats in the Bahamas parliament. Previously, the PLP held 32 of 39 seats in the House of Assembly, the lower house of parliament, before the constituency boundaries commission—an independent body responsible for reviewing and adjusting electoral district boundaries before a general election—proposed creating two new districts. The PLP won both new districts.
The Free National Movement (FNM), now in its second term as the opposition, is expected to win only eight seats in this election, according to opposition leader Michael Pintard. Both the chairman and vice chairman of the opposition party lost their votes.
Former three-time NBA champion Rick Fox, who ran as an FNM candidate in the Garden Hills constituency, was among the losers. He was defeated by incumbent Mario Bowleg, who served as minister of youth, sports and culture under Davis’s first administration. “King Kong has nothing against me,” Bowleg said after the results were announced. Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper, who is expected to continue as deputy prime minister, and Pintard, the opposition leader since 2021, were among those re-elected. Hubert Minnis, who served as prime minister until his defeat by Davis in 2021, failed to win the seat he had held for nearly 20 years after running as an independent following the FNM’s refusal to endorse him. The seat went to Michela Barnett-Ellis of the FNM.
Bahamian voters went to the polls with concerns about affordability, particularly rising housing costs and stagnant wages. The International Monetary Fund highlighted these issues in 2025, noting that while the government had taken steps to ease the housing shortage, there was still room to increase public spending in this area. Months before the election, Davis removed value-added tax on groceries—a move the opposition said had little impact on Bahamians. However, housing remains a challenge for citizens despite recent efforts by both the FNM and PLP governments to increase accessibility and options.
