Dr. Andre Rollins for FNM leader

The Free National Movement (FNM) needs New Leadership!

Rolling with Rollins for FNM Leader

By Dennis A. Dames

The blessed smoke of the 2026 general election in The Bahamas has officially cleared, and a lot about it is being heard quietly and vociferously here, there and everywhere.

The opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has some bold and popular adjustments to make - no doubt.  The main one concerns the party’s leadership moving forward to the next general election.  In my view, the entire present leadership of the FNM has got to go.

I have been intensely contemplating the question about the next leader of the FNM - the one whom I feel is the most fit and qualified among the elected members of the party.

I must testify that the good Lord moves in mysterious ways, as I wondered how Dr. Andre Rollins got that Long Island FNM nomination.  Now I have the gut feeling that Dr. Rollins is best fit for the new leader of the FNM.

Dr. Andre Rollins should be crowned FNM leader as soon as possible; and the official campaign for the next general election should immediately follow.

Indeed, search for and welcome more Lincoln Deal and Michaela Barnett-Ellis in the FNM front-line fold - and dump the dead weights without mercy and delay.

The Timing Question of The Bahamas 2026 General Election

THE BAHAMAS GENERAL ELECTION 2026 - CONSTITUTIONAL TIMING & POLITICAL REALITY: WHY NOW?

By Craig F. Butler

Let’s deal with this clearly and honestly.

If the House of Assembly first sat on 6 October 2021, then the constitutional position is straightforward:

• Five-year life of Parliament: ends around 5 October 2026

  

• Election window after that: up to 90 days

  

• Absolute constitutional outer limit: early January 2027

So let’s kill the noise:

- There is no requirement to call an election now.

  

- The Prime Minister had time well into late 2026, and even beyond into the constitutional window.

So why call it now?

This is where politics meets timing.  The national budget cycle is the real driver.

• Budget must be presented before July 1

  

• That means budget debate occupies June

  

• And budget debate is not light work—it is a full exposure of:

  – Government spending  

  – Overruns  

  – Travel expenditure  

  – Consultant usage  

  – Programme delivery vs promises  

In short:

A budget debate forces the government to account for everything.

The Strategic Calculation

If you:

• claim hundreds of promises delivered, and

  

• have areas of pressure (cost of living, crime, healthcare), and

  

• carry visible overruns (travel, operational spending, etc.),

then the last thing you want is a full month of structured parliamentary scrutiny immediately before an election.

Because that debate would not be campaign rhetoric.

It would be:

- numbers  

- line-by-line exposure  

- hard questioning on delivery vs claims

So the timing makes sense.  Calling the election before the budget cycle does three things:

• Avoids a prolonged public dissection of government finances

  

• Prevents the opposition from weaponizing budget details

  

• Keeps the campaign on narrative, not forensic accounting

Bottom Line

This is not about constitutional necessity.  This is about political timing.

The Constitution allowed more time.  The calendar created pressure.  The budget would have created exposure.

So the election is called before the numbers take center stage.

Understand the Constitution. Understand the calendar.  Then understand the decision.

Sunday April 12 2026 

Time 12:01 AM EST

Source / Comments

Voting Rights in The Bahamas

VOTING IN THE BAHAMAS: THERE IS NO ENGLISH-LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT TO VOTE

By Craig Butler, Esq.

Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas

There appears to be continued public confusion, and in some quarters active political misstatement, concerning whether a person must be able to speak English in order to vote in The Bahamas.

Let this be stated plainly:

There is no provision in the Constitution of The Bahamas requiring a voter to speak English in order to vote.  Voting rights in this jurisdiction are tied to legal eligibility, not language proficiency.

Under the constitutional and statutory framework, the relevant qualifications concern citizenship, age, and proper registration on the electoral roll.  A qualified voter must be a citizen of The Bahamas, at least eighteen years of age, and duly registered in accordance with the electoral law.  There is no separate constitutional or statutory condition imposing English-language ability as a prerequisite to the franchise.

That distinction is important.

The right to vote is not made dependent upon eloquence, accent, literacy style, or spoken fluency in English.  Any suggestion to the contrary is not a statement of Bahamian law.  It is political rhetoric masquerading as legal rule.

The Constitution does not condition citizenship-based franchise rights on language ability.  Nor does the Parliamentary Elections framework create such a bar.  The legal question is eligibility.  It is not linguistic preference.

Accordingly, any public claim that a Bahamian citizen must speak English in order to vote should be recognized for what it is: misinformation, political spin, or constitutional illiteracy.

This matter should not be clouded by emotion or opportunistic nationalism.  If there is to be public debate about changing the law, let that debate be honest and explicit.  But until such a change is lawfully made, the law remains what it is.

And what it is, is this:

Voting in The Bahamas is not language-based.  It is citizenship-based, age-based, and registration-based.

That is the legal position.  That remains the constitutional position.  And the public deserves clarity, not confusion.

Key Points for the Public

 • There is no English-speaking requirement for voting in The Bahamas.

 • Voting rights are tied to citizenship, age, and voter registration.

 • Claims that English proficiency is legally required are false.

 • Political opinion is not constitutional law.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

10:18 PM

Source / Comment

The Corrupt Nature of Bahamian Politics in The Bahamas

Election Politics in The Bahamas: Who gets to eat - and who doesn't

By Craig Butler:

Bahamian elections are too often not about governance.  They are about access.

Access to contracts.  Access to appointments.  Access to the Treasury.  That is the sickness.

The winning party does not merely win office.  It gains control over how roughly $1 billion in public contracts is distributed.

And too often the real contest is not over policy; it is over who gets fed.

That is not nation-building.  That is budget politics dressed up as democracy.

Source / Comment

More Haitians in The Bahamas Arrested for Possession of Fraudulent Bahamian Passports, National Insurance Board Cards, and Voters Cards in 2026

TWO MORE HAITIAN NATIONALS ARRESTED WITH FRAUDULENT BAHAMIAN PASSPORTS AND VOTERS CARD.

Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas: An 18-year-old Haitian man accused of fraudulently obtaining a Bahamian passport and voter’s card was remanded to prison yesterday after prosecutors said they used the documents at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Max Veve Pierre and Gersey Pierre, 59, are accused of agreeing on December 23, 2024, to fraudulently obtain a Bahamian passport.

Prosecutors allege the pair secured a passport in Max’s name from the Passport Office on February 3, 2025.

Authorities further allege that Max uttered the fraudulent passport at the Parliamentary Registry on January 23 to obtain a Bahamian voter’s card.  He is also accused of presenting the same passport to immigration officers at LPIA on February 24, where the alleged scheme unravelled.

Max was charged with three counts of possession of a false document, two counts of uttering a false document and fraud by false pretences.

Both men face additional charges of fraud by false pretences and conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretences.

The accused, both construction workers, pleaded not guilty before Senior Magistrate Anishka Isaacs.

They were remanded to The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until their trial begins on May 21.

Inspector Timothy Bain was the prosecutor.

This brings the total to 23 Haitian nationals arrested and charged in The Bahamas with possession of fraudulent passports, NIB cards and voters card so far for the year 2026.

Source / Comment

Marvin Dames is Still Standing Strong and Smiling

Marvin Dames' Still standing... Still smiling

I am deeply grateful to those who continue to stand with me, trust me, and believe me, while believing in me.  I am filled with emotion and sincere appreciation for the group of people I sit before today.  Though they represent just a microcosm of our beautiful Mt. Moriah community, they have become family.  They have stood beside me through every single season.

Most importantly, they have loved me and cared for me from the very beginning of my political journey, and for that, I owe them more than words can express.

With that said, we will not be deterred.  We will not be distracted.  We have a country to fix, and we will remain steadfast in that mission.

I love you. I love you. I love you, Mt. Moriah. ❤️

Source / Comment

Serious Concerns about Election Readiness in The Bahamas

Dr. Duane Sands, Chairman of the Free National Movement: New Boundary Register Flaws Deepen Concerns Over Election Readiness

After reviewing the updated voters list issued after recent boundary changes, the Free National Movement (FNM) has identified serious new problems that raise fresh concerns about election readiness.  These findings add to issues previously raised that have yet to be addressed.  The FNM has formally written to the Parliamentary Registration Department outlining these discrepancies, which are not minor clerical errors but significant flaws requiring urgent correction.

In its review, the FNM found polling divisions with no voters assigned, including Killarney Polling Division 3, Southern Shores Polling Division 4, and Tall Pines Polling Division 4.  It is not normal for polling divisions to be skipped in this manner.

The party also identified what appear to be residual or improperly transferred records following the Constituency Unit Transfer process.  These issues affect Central and South Eleuthera, MICAL, North Eleuthera, Free Town, North Abaco, Tall Pines, and Golden Isles.  The discrepancies suggest incomplete or flawed data migration after the boundary adjustments.

Additionally, the FNM documented cases where first-time voters were improperly turned away despite presenting valid Bahamian passports.  Voters who registered or transferred months ago do not appear on the electronic register.  Duplicate entries across constituencies and deceased individuals remaining on the National Register were also observed, along with inconsistent application of registration rules.

To date, these issues have not been addressed, and additional irregularities continue to emerge.

A credible general election depends on a registration system that is orderly, accurate, transparent, and consistently applied.  The voters register is the foundation of electoral integrity.  If that foundation is unstable, the entire system is called into question.

For that reason, the FNM is calling for:

• A full audit and reconciliation of the revised register following the Boundary Commission changes

• Immediate correction of polling divisions with missing assignments

• A comprehensive review of the Constituency Unit Transfer process

• Public clarification on all previously identified irregularities

Protecting the vote is not a partisan issue; it is a constitutional responsibility owed to every Bahamian citizen.

The FNM has requested an urgent response from the Parliamentary Registration Department and stands ready to meet without delay to resolve these matters.

The integrity of the voters register must be beyond question.