The Bahamas

Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Piracy thrived in the 17th and 18th centuries because of The Bahamas close proximity to shipping lanes. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas has prospered through tourism, international banking, and investment management, which comprise up to 85% of GDP. Because of its proximity to the US - the nearest Bahamian landmass being only 80 km (50 mi) from Florida - the country is a major transshipment point for illicit trafficking, particularly to the US mainland, as well as Europe. US law enforcement agencies cooperate closely with The Bahamas, and the US Coast Guard assists Bahamian authorities in coastal defense through Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, or OPBAT.

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Cornelius A. SMITH (since 28 June 2019)

head of government:

Prime Minister Hubert MINNIS (since 11 May 2017)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by governor general on recommendation of prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general;
• the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

note: Prime Minister Hubert MINNIS is only the fourth prime minister in Bahamian history following its independence from the UK; he is also the first prime minister in 25 years besides Perry CHRISTIE and Hubert INGRAHAM,

who repeatedly traded the premiership from 1992 to 2017

description:

bicameral Parliament consists of:; Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve 5-year terms); House of Assembly (39 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

Senate - last appointments on 24 May 2017 (next appointments in 2022); House of Assembly - last held on 10 May 2017 (next to be held by May 2022)

election results:

Senate - appointed; composition - men 9, women 7, percent of women 43.8%;

• House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - FNM 57%, PLP 36.9%, other 6.1%;
• seats by party - FNM 35, PLP 4;
• composition - men 34, women 5, percent of women 12.8%;
• note - total Parliament percent of women 21.8%

note: the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time

highest courts:

• Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 4 justices, organized in 3-member panels);
• Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and a maximum of 11 and a minimum of 2 justices)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal president and Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition party;
• other Court of Appeal and Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor general upon recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, a 5-member body headed by the chief justice;
• Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 68 but can be extended until age 70;
• Supreme Court justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 65 but can be extended until age 67

subordinate courts:

• Industrial Tribunal;
• Stipendiary and Magistrates' Courts;
• Family Island Administrators

note: the Bahamas is a member of the 15-member Caribbean Community but is not party to the agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice as its highest appellate court;

the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) serves as the final court of appeal for The Bahamas

The Bahamas has the second highest per capita GDP in the English-speaking Caribbean with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and financial services. Tourism accounts for approximately 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute less than 7% of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.

The new government led by Prime Minister Hubert MINNIS has prioritized addressing fiscal imbalances and rising debt, which stood at 75% of GDP in 2016. Large capital projects like the Baha Mar Casino and Hotel are driving growth. Public debt increased in 2017 in large part due to hurricane reconstruction and relief financing.

The primary fiscal balance was a deficit of 0.4% of GDP in 2016. The Bahamas is the only country in the Western Hemisphere that is not a member of the World Trade Organization.

general assessment:

• the telecom sector across the Caribbean continues to be a growth area, contributing to the country's overall GDP;
• totally automatic system;
• highly developed;
• operators focus investment on mobile networks;
• the activation of (mobile number portability) MNP in April 2017, allowing mobile subscribers to port their numbers between competing MNO (mobile network operators) has contributed to the competition and liberalization of the market (2020)

domestic:

23 per 100 fixed-line, 109 per 100 mobile-cellular (2019)

international:

• country code - 1-242;
• landing points for the ARCOS-1, BICS, Bahamas 2-US, and BDSN fiber-optic submarine cables that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 2;
• the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links all of the major islands;
• (2019)

note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide;

overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated