The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has called on people to register to vote in the “shortest possible time”.

While he gave no clue as to when an election could be called, Dr Minnis said it is the collective will of the people that decides who should govern the country.

He made the remarks yesterday morning during Calvary Deliverance Church’s 39th convention where he referred to the country’s upcoming 48th anniversary of independence on July 10.

“It is a time to take pride in all we have accomplished as a sovereign nation over the last 48 years,” Dr Minnis told the congregation.

“One of the things we should be most proud of is our democracy. In our system the people select their government at the ballot box. We have free and fair elections.

“We have an orderly process in how we select those who represent us in Parliament.”

He added: “I want to encourage you all who need to register to do so in the shortest possible time. The right to vote was fought for by our founders. We should not take it for granted.

“The collective will of the people decides who should govern.”

Several voter registration sites opened back in February amid speculation Dr Minnis could call an election soon.

Dr Minnis has not done so. Instead, the Killarney MP has several times brushed off talk of an early vote.

Back in May, National Security Minister Marvin Dames urged people not “to read too deeply” into a Royal Bahamas Defence Force memo that directed departments to prepare for the possibility of an early election.

The memo, signed by Acting Captain Shawn Adderley, was sent in response to a memo from the Parliamentary Registration Department, according to RBDF Commodore Raymond King.

While some saw it as evidence that Dr Minnis was gearing up for an early election, Mr Dames said this was not necessarily the case.

“Only one person can decide that and that is the prime minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” Mr Dames said at the time. “Now we know that these agencies would often prepare earlier than most. That is not out of the ordinary and so I won’t read too deeply into that. This is a normal occurrence. Only one person could determine the date of the election and he hasn’t yet done so.

“Everybody is speculating…(the) Prime Minister makes that decision and when he does, we wanna make certain that these agencies are ready in advance.”

The memo, which was signed on April 29, says: “Be advised that in preparation for the possibility of an early general election, you are directed to provide a listing of all personnel in your purview voting in the advanced poll and forward the same to the base executive officer’s office by Thursday, 6 May 2021.”

Legislation passed earlier this year has allowed for a permanent voter register to be established for the first time in the country, meaning that people who registered to vote for the 2017 election will not need to register again.

However, qualified Bahamians who are not on the 2017 register or who have moved to an address different from the one on their voter’s card will need to visit a Parliamentary Registration Department centre to register or transfer their registration to a new polling division or constituency where they now reside.

Some 20,000 first time voters are expected to register this election cycle.

Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Lavado Duncanson has said 189,346 people are currently registered for the next election, including 27,997 in the Family Islands and 30,233 in Grand Bahama.

Unless called earlier, the next general election is expected in May 2022.