Bahamas Sets May 12 General Election; Parliament Dissolves April 8

Prime Minister Philip Davis has called a general election for May 12, 2026, formally opening the campaign season in The Bahamas. Parliament will be dissolved on April 8, Davis announced on April 1, in accordance with Article 66(2) of the Constitution.

Writs of Election will be issued the following day under Article 67(1).

The voter registration deadline coincides with Parliament’s dissolution. Residents holding valid purple voter identification cards need not re-register. First-time voters and those requiring address transfers must act before April 8, when the electoral register closes under the Parliamentary Elections Act.

Davis urged Bahamians to approach the election with civility, noting that political divisions would outlast the campaign. “Long after the campaign is over, we will still be one people,” he said.