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A government is the body within a community, political entity or organization 

which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws, and regulations

 The purpose of a government is to provide for the safety and protection of the

citizens. It protects the nation from foreign and domestic enemies and violence,

provides services like post office, fire protection, state and local police, armed

forces, and regulates things like interstate commerce and trade with other nations.

A government also has the obligation to protect the rights of the citizens, though

not all governments do that. A national government must protect the rights of 

citizens and of states' rights. The government's functions are to provide social

order, security, public services, and economic systems for the citizens.

The politics of the Bahamas takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representativedemocratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-

 party system. The Bahamas is an independent country and Commonwealth Realm. It is a

 parliamentary democracy whose political and legal traditions closely follow those of the UnitedKingdom. Executive power  is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both

the government and the two chambers of parliament. The party system is dominated by the

Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement. Constitutional safeguards includefreedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. The Bahamas is a member of the

eastern Caribbean court system. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the

legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.

Contents

[hide]

• 1 Political developments

• 2 Executive branch

• 3 Legislative branch

• 4 Political parties and elections

• 5 International organization participation

[edit] Political developments

In the first half of the 20th century, the Bahamas was largely controlled by a group of influentialwhite merchants known as the "Bay Street Boys", who dominated both the economy and the

legislature. Executive power rested with the British governor-in-council.

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The Progressive Liberal Party was formed in 1953 to represent the disenfranchised black 

majority and this led to the formation of the United Bahamian Party by the Bay Street Boys. In

1964 the British gave the Bahamas internal self-governance and the white UBP leader RolandSymonette became the country's first premier. In 1967, under the leadership of a young black 

lawyer named Lynden Pindling, the PLP were elected and went on to lead The Bahamas into

independence in 1973.

A coalition of PLP dissidents and former UBP members formed the Free National Movement(FNM) in 1971 under the leadership of Cecil Wallace Whitfield. After Whitfield's death in 1990,

another ex-PLP, Hubert Ingraham, became leader of the FNM and took the party to victory in the

1992 general election. The FNM was re-elected by a landslide in 1997, but lost to a resurgentPLP, under the leadership of his former law partner Perry Christie, in 2002. Ingraham turned the

 party leadership over to Tommy Turnquest in 2002, but in 2007 he returned to lead the FNM to

victory again by a five-seat margin.

Among the country's biggest challenges are the privatization of costly and inefficient state-

owned corporations, the retraining of hundreds of workers who will be affected by the change,decisions on ways to diversify tax revenues away from import tariffs and license fees, and

opening the economy to international trade agreements.

[edit] Executive branch

The Bahamas is a constitutional monarchy based on the Westminster system of parliamentary

government. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. She is represented ceremonially by a

Bahamian governor-general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet.

The leader of the majority party in parliament serves as prime minister and head of government.

The cabinet consists of at least nine members, including the  prime minister and ministers of executive departments. They answer politically to the lower House of Assembly.

The governor-general appoints the chief justice of the Supreme Court on the advice of the primeminister and leader of the opposition. Other justices are appointed on the advice of a judicial

commission. The Privy Council in London serves as the highest appellate court for the Bahamas.

Main office holders

Office Name Party Since

Queen Elizabeth II 6 February 1952

Governor- Hon. Arthur Dion Hanna 1 February 2006

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General

Prime Minister  Hubert A. Ingraham FNM 2 May 2007

[edit] Legislative branch

Bahamian Parliament, located in downtown Nassau

The House of Assembly consists of 41 members, elected from individual constituencies for five-

year terms. As under the Westminster system, the government may dissolve the parliament andcall elections at any time. The House of Assembly performs all major legislative functions.

The Senate consists of 16 members appointed by the governor-general, including nine on the

advice of the prime minister, four on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and three on theadvice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition.

Political parties and elections

 For other political parties see List of political parties in the Bahamas. An overview on elections

and election results is included in  Elections in the Bahamas.

e • d Summary of the 2 May 2007 House of Assembly of the Bahamas election results

Parties Votes % Seats

Free National Movement 68,542 49.86 23

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Progressive Liberal Party 64,637 47.02 18

Bahamas Democratic Movement 741 0.54 0

Independents 3,555 2.59 0

Total 137,475 41

Source: BBC News

A constitution is a set of rules for government—often codified as a written

document—that enumerates the powers and functions of a political entity. These

rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is. In the case of countriesand autonomous regions of federal countries the term refers specifically to a

constitution defining the fundamental political principles, and establishing the

structure, procedures, powers and duties, of a government. By limiting the

government's own reach, most constitutions guarantee certain rights to the people.

 The term constitution can be applied to any overall system of law that defines the

functioning of a government, including several uncodified historical constitutions

that existed before the development of modern codified constitutions.

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves

as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation,

commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes personifying

the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers,

functions and duties granted to the head of state in the country's constitution and

laws. In nation states the head of state is often thought of as the official "leader" of 

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the nation. In parliamentary systems the head of state may be merely the nominal

chief executive officer of the state, possessing executive power (hence the

description of the United Kingdom monarch's government as His/Her Majesty's

Government; a term indicating that all power belongs to the sovereign and the

government acts on Her Majesty's behalf, not parliament's). In reality however,

following a process of constitutional evolution, powers are usually only exercised bydirection of a cabinet, presided over by a prime minister who is answerable to the

legislature. This accountability requires that someone be chosen from parliament

who has parliament's support (or, at least, not parliament's opposition - a subtle but

important difference). It also gives parliament the right to vote down the

government, forcing it either to resign or seek a parliamentary dissolution.

Governments are thus said to be responsible (or answerable) to parliament, with

the government in turn accepting constitutional responsibility for offering

constitutional advice to the head of state.

A Governor General, is a vice-regal representative of a monarch in an independent

realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of 

the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal

governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.[1]

A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a

legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since

senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and

ruling class.

The Bahamian Parliament is a bicameral  body that, in its organisation and functions, closely

follows the canons of the Westminster system. It meets in Nassau, the capital.

Contents

[hide]

• 1 House of Assembly

o 1.1 Latest election

• 2 Senate

• 3 See also

[edit] House of Assembly

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