The Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) is a liberal populist political party in the Bahamas without parliamentary representation. The countries of the Commonwealth Realm share the same monarch. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Flag of the Governor-General of the Bahamas This page contains a list of Governors-General of the Bahamas. ... Arthur Dion Hanna (born March 7, 1928) is the current governor-general of the Bahamas. ... The accuracy of this list is disputed, since it was based on worldstatesmen. ... The Right Honourable Hubert Alexander Ingraham (born 1947) was the second prime minister of the Bahamas from 1992 until 2002. ... The Bahamian Parliament is a bicameral body that, in its organisation and functions, closely follows the canons of the Westminster system. ... The Bahamian Parliament is a bicameral body that, in its organisation and functions, closely follows the canons of the Westminster system. ... The Bahamian Parliament is a bicameral body that, in its organisation and functions, closely follows the canons of the Westminster system. ... Political parties in the Bahamas exist within a two-party system, in that there are two dominant political parties, with extreme difficulty for candidates to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party. ... The Progressive Liberal Party is a populist and liberal party, now the ruling party of the Bahamas. ... The Free National Movement is a political party in the Bahamas. ... Politics of the Bahamas Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Bahamas ... General elections will be held on the Bahamas in May 2007. ... The Bahamas has strong bilateral relationships with the United States and the United Kingdom, represented by an ambassador in Washington and High Commissioner in London. ... The Districts of the Bahamas provide a system of local government everywhere in the Bahamas except New Providence, whose affairs are handled directly by the central government. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... Populism is a political ideology or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, which exists only to serve its own interests, and therefore, the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and instead used for the...

Party formation

The party was formed in late 1998 in Nassau, Bahamas and was officially launched in February 2000. The party's founders included: Cassius Stuart, Howard R. Johnson and a number of then-students of the College of The Bahamas. The party was formed due to a strongly held belief among the founding group that Caribbean governments generally, and successive Bahamian governments specifically, failed to incorporate young persons (under the age of 30) in the decision-making processes of government at any level. This particular view stemmed from the fact that at that time over 60% of the country's population was under the age of 30 years. Stuart and his followers believed that it was incumbent upon the government to have young persons play a more significant role in the governance of the country as opposed to merely "using them for their votes" in the period leading up to general elections. Immediately following victory at the polls however, Stuart and his followers contended that young persons were given no official governmental roles with any real political power. The current leader of the BDM is Cassius Stuart. Mr. Omar Smith serves as Deputy Leader of the party. For other uses of Nassau, see Nassau (disambiguation). ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... A general election is an election in which all members of a given political body are up for election. ... Political power (imperium in Latin) is a type of power held by a person or group in a society. ... The word leadership can refer to: the process of leading. ... Deputy Leader in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. ...

Party split

Within a year of the party's formation, Johnson and others left the BDM citing methodological differences with Stuart as the primary reason for their departure. Soon after their departure, Johnson and others joined another political party the Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR). The Coalition for Democratic Reform is a political party in The Bahamas. ...

The Mace incident

On Monday, December 3, 2001, Stuart and Smith dominated the national news when they intentionally disrupted the Sitting of the House of Assembly. Both men charged from the Public Gallery onto the House floor and handcuffed themselves to the Mace (symbol of the House Speaker's authority) in protest against the "unfair gerrymandering of the constituency boundaries by the FNM Administration". The Mace was unable to be separated from the men and thus, the Sitting had to be suspended. The pair was jailed for almost 2 days but no charges were brought against them. Ironically, the BDM's Mace Incident was strikingly similar to an event of important political significance in Bahamian history known as Black Tuesday. On that particular day, April 15, 1965, then-Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Sir Lynden Pindling threw the Mace out of the House of Assembly window in protest against the unfair gerrymandering of constituency boundaries of the then United Bahamian Party (UBP) government. December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The Bahamian Parliament is a bicameral body that, in its organisation and functions, closely follows the canons of the Westminster system. ... An advance on the club, a mace is a strong, heavy wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal shaft, with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel. ... Gerrymandering is a controversial form of redistricting in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are manipulated for an electoral advantage. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... The phrase Black Tuesday refers to September 29, 1931 when Estevan miners protesting were fired upon by RCMP officers. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... The accuracy of this list is disputed, since it was based on worldstatesmen. ... The Right Honourable Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling ( 22 March 1930-26 August 2000) served as the first black Premier of the Colony of the Bahama Islands, 1967-1973 and as Prime Minister of the Bahamas, 1973-1992, as leader of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). ... Gerrymandering is a controversial form of redistricting in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are manipulated for an electoral advantage. ...

2002 General Elections

The BDM contested 12 of the 40 Parliamentary seats in the General Elections of 2002 winning no seats and less than 1% of the total votes cast. Despite its dismal performance at the polls, the BDM enjoys widespread admiration^{[citation needed]} as well as criticism^{[citation needed]} from the Bahamian public. Their support comes mainly from individuals under the age of 30. To date the BDM has been unable to effectively mobilize and organize the under 30 group to show up at the polls and support the party. Critics of the BDM charge that Stuart and Smith often engage in radical political action to 'grandstand' and claim that this behavior ultimately precludes the organization from fading into obscurity^{[citation needed]}. A general election is an election in which all members of a given political body are up for election. ...

Prime Minister blocked from entering Parliament

On March 24, 2005, Stuart and Smith again dominated the national news when they briefly prevented Prime Minister Perry Christie from accessing the House of Assembly. It was a dramatic end to a protest taking place in the immediate vicinity of the Parliament against the government’s move to bring a resolution to Parliament giving a government Member of Parliament more time to appeal a bankruptcy order against him. The BDM claimed that the government would be abusing its constitutional authority in passing the resolution. This argument found its premise on a requirement of the Constitution of The Bahamas that any Member of Parliament who is declared bankrupt by the Courts must vacate his or her seat in the Parliament. Stuart and Smith were again arrested in the wake of the incident but the pair has yet to be charged before the Bahamian courts. is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The accuracy of this list is disputed, since it was based on worldstatesmen. ... Perry Gladstone Christie (born August 21, 1944) is the third and current Prime Minister of the Bahamas and a former athlete. ... This article concerns the legal meaning of the term resolution. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... This article concerns the legal meaning of the term resolution. ...

External links

• Official website
• PM Blocked From House
• 2002 General Elections Results

v • d • e Political parties in the Bahamas
Free National Movement - Progressive Liberal Party - Bahamas Democratic Movement