First in 30 Years: Bahamas Re-Elects Its Prime Minister

Philip Davis has been re-elected as Prime Minister of the Bahamas. The re-election makes him the first leader in nearly 30 years to serve two consecutive terms.

Davis and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) secured a decisive victory on Tuesday. He won more than 30 of the 41 parliamentary seats, despite a poll not being due until October.

Davis called the early election to get ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season.

“The Bahamian people have spoken, and I receive their verdict with humility and gratitude,” Davis said during his first address to the public. “This victory is a mandate to keep moving The Bahamas forward, to expand opportunity, strengthen security, ease the pressure on families, and deliver progress across our islands.”

The opposition Free National Movement (FNM) was on track to win just eight seats. Both the party’s chair and deputy leader lost their races.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis also failed to reclaim a seat he had held for nearly 20 years after launching an independent bid following the FNM’s refusal to back him.

The election was fought largely on cost-of-living concerns, with rising housing costs and stagnant wages weighing heavily on voters.