The Bahamas Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Type: independent commonwealth recognizing Elizabeth 11 as Chief of State

Capital: Nassau on New Providence Island

Legal system: based on English common law

National holiday: Independence Day, 10 July

Branches: bicameral legislature (Parliament—16-member appointed Senate, 43-member elected House of Assembly); executive (Prime Minister and Cabinet); judiciary

Government leaders: Sir Lynden Oscar P1NDL1NG, Prime Minister (since 1969); Sir Gerald C. CASH, Governor General (since 1979)

Suffrage universal over age 18

Elections: House of Assembly (June 1982); next election constitutionally due in five years

Political parties and leaders: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. Pindling Free National Movement (FNM), Kendal Isaacs, Cecil Wallace-Whitfield

Voting strength: 73,309 registered voters (July 1977); (1982 election) House of Assembly—PLP (55%) 32 seats, FNM (45%) 11 seats, others (3%) 0 seats

Communists: none known

Other political or pressure groups: Van guard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNSP), a small leftist party headed by Lionel Carey; Trade Union Congress (TUC), headed by Leonard Archer

The Bahamas

Member of: CARICOM, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDB—Inter-American Development

Bank, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding The Bahamas on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of The Bahamas 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about The Bahamas 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.