General elections were held in the Bahamas on 19 August 1992 for all 49 seats in the House of Assembly.

Electoral System

Members of the House of Assembly are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. The majority party then selects the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Governor-General.

Political Parties

The election was a contest between the two major parties: the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the opposition Free National Movement (FNM).

Background & Campaign

The main contenders were the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the Free National Movement (FNM). A total of 111 candidates were fielded for the 49 seats to be filled. The election campaign was conducted against a background of industrial unrest in the telephone, electricity and airline sectors. Violent incidents were reported between government and opposition supporters during rallies. The main issue was the economy, with both major parties advocating free-market strategies to fight recession, high unemployment and revive the tourist industry. The centre-right FNM, however, stressed the need for change (using the slogan “deliverance”) and accused the Government of mismanagement and waste. It called for greater economic stringency and accountability.

Results

On polling day, the FNM surprisingly scored a decisive victory. As a matter of fact, the PLP had been tipped to maintain its parliamentary majority. In the event, the FNM increased its strength by 17 seats to arrive at 33 while the centrist PLP lost 15.

On 21 August, Hubert Alexander Ingraham, leader of FNM, was sworn in as Prime Minister, thus putting an end to the incumbent Sir Lynden Pindling’s 25 years in office (including 19 since independence). On 24 August, Mr. Ingraham appointed a 13-member Cabinet.

Voter Turnout

Voter turnout was 91.15%.