Progressive Liberal Party

For other parties with the same name, see Progressive Liberal Party (disambiguation).
Progressive Liberal Party
Party Leader Perry Christie
Deputy Leader Philip Davis
Founded 1953 (1953)
Headquarters Farrington Road, N. 547
P.O. Box, Nassau
Youth wing Progressive Young Liberals
Ideology Social liberalism
Progressivism
Left-wing nationalism
Political position Centre-left
International affiliation None
Colours           Gold and Dark blue
Slogan "Believe in The Bahamas!"
House of Assembly
30 / 38
Senate
12 / 16
Website
www.myplp.org

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. The PLP lies on the left of the political spectrum. Perry Christie is the leader of the party and has been Prime Minister of the Bahamas since the 7 May 2012 general elections.

History

The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton Taylor.[1][2] The PLP was the first national political party in the Bahamas.[1]

The party governed for 30 years, from 1967 to 1992 and again from 2002 to 2007. Leading the party to its first victory in 1967 was Lynden Pindling, the country's first Prime Minister. The party nationalized some private businesses due to socialist tendencies.

Perry Christie was Prime Minister of the Bahamas between May 2, 2002 and the 2007 general elections when the party was defeated by the rival Free National Movement (FNM) which won 23 seats. The FNM installed leader Hubert Ingraham as the Prime Minister. After defeat and one of its MPs leaving the party since, the PLP held 17 of the 41 seats in the Bahamas National Assembly.

In the 2012 general election on 7 2012,[3] the Progressive Liberals won a solid majority in a landslide election victory, taking 29 of the 38 seats in parliament.[4] Christie was sworn into office on 8 May 2012.[4]

Hubert Ingraham announced his retirement from politics following the defeat of his party.[4] This was the first general election in which the Democratic National Alliance, a third party offered a full slate of candidates along with the two major parties;[5] however, the DNA lost the only seat it held in the prior parliament (that of Branville McCartney, its founder and only MP) and elected no candidates. Elections in the Bahamas take place in the framework of a parliamentary democracy, which relies on the first-past-the-post system of voting.

Electoral results

Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1962 32,261 43.9
8 / 33
 Steady 8 Steady 2nd Opposition
1967 19,408 45.0
18 / 38
 Increase 10 Increase 1st Minority
1968 29,156 62.8
29 / 38
 Increase 11 Steady 1st Majority
1972 28,599 57.9
29 / 38
 Steady 0 Steady 1st Majority
1977 35,090 54.7
30 / 38
 Increase 1 Steady 1st Majority
1982 42,995 56.9
32 / 43
 Increase 2 Steady 1st Majority
1987 48,339 53.5
31 / 49
 Decrease 1 Steady 1st Majority
1992 50,258 44.7
16 / 49
 Decrease 15 Decrease 2nd Opposition
1997 49,932 41.9
5 / 40
 Decrease 11 Steady 2nd Opposition
2002 66,901 51.8
29 / 40
 Increase 24 Increase 1st Majority
2007 64,637 47.0
18 / 41
 Decrease 11 Decrease 2nd Opposition
2012 75,815 48.6
29 / 38
 Increase 11 Increase 1st Majority

References

  1. 1 2 Nixon, Celeste (8 June 2012). "PLP Founder Cartwright Dies". Bahamas Tribune. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Jones Jr., Royston (8 June 2012). "PLP Co-founder William Cartwright Dies at 89". Nassau Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "Electoral Calendar – international elections world elections". mherrera.org. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Charles, Jacqueline (8 May 2012). "Bahamas swears in new leader as ex-prime minister calls it quits". Miami Herald. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Popescu, Yasmin. "McCartney and DNA makes political history", The Freeport News, 25 April 2012.
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