Christie bags Bahamas election
Ousted Prime Minister Ingraham steps down as party leader.
NASSAU, Bahamas, Wednesday May 09, 2012 – Opposition leader Perry Christie swept to victory in the Bahamas general election after Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham conceded defeat late on Monday.
Prime Minister-elect Christie lauded the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) “magnificent victory”, but cautioned supporters that “great challenges” lay ahead for the 700-island archipelago to revive a struggling economy and combat escalating crime.
Christie, 69, led the PLP to a convincing victory, securing a commanding majority of the 38 seats in the House of Assembly. He now returns to the job he had held from 2002 to 2007.
In an appeal for national unity, Christie said: “This has been a bitterly contested election, and now it is over it is time for national healing to begin.”
Addressing party workers at the headquarters of the ousted ruling Free National Movement (FNM), Ingraham said he would stand down as party leader and would not take up his place in the new parliament despite being re-elected to the North Abaco seat for the eighth time.
“The Progressive Liberal Party has won the election,” said Ingraham, who served as prime minister from 1992 to 2002 and again from 2007. “I do not propose to lead the party in opposition.”
Analysts had predicted a close race between the two leading parties in the island chain that is heavily dependent on tourism and earnings from its role as an offshore financial centre.
The PLP now faces tough challenges, including weak economic growth and an official unemployment rate of nearly 15 percent.
The party was ousted amid several scandals five years ago, including claims that immigration officials had expedited a residency permit for late Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith.
Home to about 350,000 people, the scattered archipelago is saddled with a heavy debt burden and a burgeoning crime and murder rate.
In addition to crime, the lacklustre economy and oil issues largely dominated the run-up to Monday’s vote.
The major parties traded jabs over oil exploration, which is highly sensitive given revenues from tourism and the allure of white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters to the island chain’s many vacationers.
Analysts say there could be 1 billion barrels of oil reserves in Bahamian waters, offering an opportunity for economic growth. But extensive drilling for oil could come at a cost to tourism.
Ingraham initially vowed he would not approve any drilling for oil if re-elected, but later said he would authorize it once the appropriate regulatory procedures were put in place.
He sought to portray Christie’s party as being closely tied to the Bahamas Petroleum Company, which holds five licenses to explore for oil in the Bahamas. Christie and the PLP denied any links to the oil company. Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)