The prime minister of the Bahamas is the head of government of the Bahamas. The prime minister is formally appointed into office by the governor-general of the Bahamas, who represents , the king of the Bahamas (the Bahamian head of state).
The following article contains a list of prime ministers of the Bahamas, from the establishment of the position of chief minister of the Bahamas Islands in 1955 to the present day.
Constitutional basis Under section 72 of the Constitution of the Bahamas, the Governor-General of the Bahamas must appoint "the member of the House of Assembly who is the leader of the party which commands the support of the majority of the members of that House". In the event of a hung parliament, the governor-general should appoint the member who is "most likely to command the support of the majority of members of that House".
Official oath of office
Office of the Prime Minister The prime minister of the Bahamas is the head of the government of the Bahamas. The duties of the prime minister include:
Office of the Prime Minister Department of Lands and Surveys Government Printing Department Department of Statistics Bahamas Information Services National Economic Council Promotion and facilitation of investment Development in the Family Islands
Agencies under the prime minister include:
Department of Lands and Surveys Lands and Surveying Acquiring Land Department of Local Government Relations with Local Government Agencies Local improvement associations
List of heads of government of the Bahamas (1955–present) Political parties
Chief minister of the Bahamas Islands (1955–1964) PortraitNameElectionTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in office 1 Sir Roland Symonette 1962 1955 7 January 1964 9 years UBP
Premiers of the Bahamas Islands (1964–1969) PortraitNameElectionTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in office (1) Sir Roland Symonette — 7 January 1964 16 January 1967 UBP 2 Lynden Pindling 19671968 16 January 1967 10 May 1969 PLP
Prime minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Islands (1969–1973) PortraitNameElectionTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in office 1 Lynden Pindling 1972 10 May 1969 10 July 1973 PLP
Prime ministers of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (1973–present) PortraitNameElectionTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in office 1 Lynden Pindling 197719821987 10 July 1973 21 August 1992 PLP 2 Hubert Ingraham 19921997 21 August 1992 3 May 2002 FNM 3 Perry Christie 2002 3 May 2002 4 May 2007 PLP (2) Hubert Ingraham 2007 4 May 2007 8 May 2012 FNM (3) Perry Christie 2012 8 May 2012 11 May 2017 PLP 4 Hubert Minnis 2017 11 May 2017 17 September 2021 FNM 5 Philip Davis 20212026 17 September 2021 Incumbent PLP
Timeline This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the prime ministers of the Bahamas. They are listed in order of first assuming office.
The following chart lists prime ministers by lifespan (living prime ministers on the green line), with the years outside of their tenure in beige.
Deputy prime ministers The position was formally established on 20 February 1968.
Arthur Dion "A.D" Hanna 1968–1984 Clement T. Maynard 1985–1992 Orville Turnquest 1992–1995 Frank Watson 1995–2002 Cynthia A. Pratt 2002–2007 Brent Symonette 2007–2012 Philip Davis 2012–2017 Peter Turnquest 2017–2020 Desmond Bannister 2020–2021 Chester Cooper 2021–present
See also List of governors of the Bahamas Governor-General of the Bahamas List of heads of state of the Bahamas List of prime ministers of Elizabeth II List of prime ministers of Charles III List of Commonwealth heads of government List of Privy Counsellors (1952–2022) List of Privy Counsellors (2022–present)
References
Countries Ba-Bo Political Parties of The Bahamas
Guinness Book of Kings Rulers & Statesmen, Clive Carpenter, Guinness Superlatives Ltd