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1 1 (June 7, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govegza0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service infurnincg ifhe Iegislative debate since 1914 The Bahamas: An Overview Updated June 7, 2022 Political and Economic Environment The Bahamas, a Caribbean nation of some 700 islands off the southeast coast of the United States, has been a stable parliamentary democracy since its independence from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1973. The country's bicameral legislature has a 39-seat House of Assembly directly elected for five-year terms and a 16-member appointed Senate. Since independence, two political parties have dominated elections, the center-left Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the center-right Free National Movement (FNM). The PLP was formed in 1953 as an opposition party to the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which governed the Bahamas when the country was under British rule. In 1967, the PLP won control of the government and oversaw the country's independence from the UK. It ruled continuously from 1967 until 1992 under the leadership of Lynden Pindling, commonly referred to as the father of the nation. The FNM was formed in 1971 by former members of the UBP and dissidents from the PLP. Under the leadership of Hubert Ingraham, the FNM won the 1992 general elections, governing over the next decade until 2002. Since then, the two parties have alternated winning national elections. Current Prime Minister Philip Davis led the PLP to a landslide electoral victory in September 2021, winning 32 House of Assembly seats; the FNM, now led by Michael Pintard, who serves as leader of the opposition, won 7 seats. The difficult economic situation, brought about by the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and, beginning in 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, was a key factor that led to the PLP's win in 2021. National elections are next due by September 2026. Even before the start of the pandemic, the Bahamian economy had been hit hard when Hurricane Dorian caused widespread damage to the northwestern Bahamian islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in September 2019. An Inter- American Development Bank-led assessment estimated $3.4 billion in damages and losses. The COVID-19 pandemic further damaged the Bahamas' tourist-based economy, resulting in an economic contraction of almost 24% in 2020, one of the most severe in the Caribbean, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The economy began to recover strongly in 2021 with 13.7% growth and projected growth of 8.0% in 2022, although higher global commodity prices adds some uncertainty to the country's economic outlook. As of June 7, 2022, the Bahamas reported 810 deaths from the COVID-19 virus since the pandemic began, equivalent to a mortality rate of 205 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics. The country has received vaccine donations, most significantly from the United States (see below), and has procured vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility, a mechanism developed by global health organizations to facilitate equitable vaccine distribution. Figure I. Mau of the Bahamas Source: CRS. The Bahamas at a Glance Population: 397,000 (2021, IMF est.) Area (square miles): 5,359, slightly smaller than Connecticut GDP (current prices): $11.1 billion (2021 est., IMF) GDP Growth -23.8% (2020); 13.7% (2021, est.) (constant prices): 8.0% projected (2022) (IMF). Per Capita GDP $28,239 (2021 est., IMF) (current prices): Life Expectancy: 74 years (2020, WB) Sources: International Monetary Fund (IMF), IMF Concludes 2022 Article IV Consultation with The Bahamas, May 9, 2022; World Bank (WB). About 40% of the Bahamian population has been fully vaccinated to date. Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant challenge, and could be a factor in full recovery of the tourism-based economy.

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