Voters in the Bahamas reject changes to constitution in referendum

Voters in the Bahamas have chosen to reject 4 pieces of legislation that the authorities said would have allowed for an amendment to the country’s constitution for greater gender equality.

A spokesman for the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has since called on Prime Minister Perry Christie to step down or face the prospect of a no-confidence vote in his administration.

Several United Nations organizations had urged support for the referendum saying that by voting for the 4 bills, the Bahamas would serve as a positive example to the international community, “and its actions would help to encourage reform in countries worldwide which have yet to afford their citizens equal nationality rights”.

When he launched the referendum campaign in April, Prime Minister Christie said that amendments would not allow for same-sex marriages to become legal in the Bahamas.

In a statement, the ruling People’s Liberal Party (PLP) acknowledged that the “will of the Bahamian people was expressed unfettered in the historic June 7 gender equality referendum as voters went to the polls and respectfully and peacefully exercised their voting franchise”.

“The Bahamian people spoke loud and clear by voting no in the majority on the 4 referendum questions placed before them today. The government respects and will abide by the will of the people pursuant to the constitution,” the PLP said in a statement. It reminded citizens of the statement by Christie that “sometimes democracy may not manifest itself in the manner we would like, but it is still democracy none the less and we respect that reality”.

The PLP said that the vigorous and sometimes emotive public debate for and against the constitutional changes enlightened our people, “deepened our democracy and our country is more mature and better for this exercise”.

“The PLP remains committed to the principle of equality for all Bahamians under the law. We do so because it is consistent with our core values and the foundational principles upon which the PLP was built and thrived,” the party said.

The party said that the referendum was “a giant step on an ever evolving journey to a more perfect democratic Commonwealth as the fight for freedom, social justice and equality continues.”

Meanwhile, the opposition shadow minister of national security, Andre Rollins, said the “results represent a resounding, across-the-board rejection of this referendum by the people of the Bahamas”.

“In the end, I continue to maintain that this was not a referendum on gender equality, but rather it was a referendum on a very unpopular PLP government and confirmation of the pervasiveness of the perception that this PLP government is not trustworthy,” Rollins said. He also said that the Christie-led government simply cannot escape blame for the outcome of this referendum exercise.

He said that the public is entitled to receive — during the course of the impending budget debate — a complete accounting for the expenditures related to the ‘Vote Yes’ campaign, and an admission by the prime minister “that the PLP – with its history of hypocritically opposing these same questions in the 2002 referendum and its recent failure to respect the results of the gaming referendum — was the wrong party to put these questions to the Bahamian people.”

“Furthermore, it is unacceptable for the government to reportedly spend US$6 million on these last 2 failed referendum exercises, without holding the prime minister and his cabinet directly responsible and accountable for their overwhelming failures.

“It is unheard of, and likely unprecedented, in any democratic nation for the head of the executive branch to suffer 2 national referendum defeats in a single term in office and not voluntarily offer his or her resignation, or be made to resign by a vote of no confidence initiated by his or her peers.

“The message delivered by the Bahamian people is pellucidly clear: the Prime Minister has lost his mandate to lead this country. Mr Christie ought to resign forthwith or be made to face a vote of no confidence initiated in the House of Assembly by both PLP and FNM members of parliament,” Rollins added. – (CMC)