BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - PEOPLE in The Bahamas will be heading to the polls on September 16, after the island’s Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis announced Parliament would be dissolved today (Aug. 19).
A gamble played out yesterday by the Prime Minister that the Commissioner of Police, as the Provost Marshal, announced on two occasions yesterday that the Parliament was prorogued and the new life of the House would start on September 22.
In a national address today, the Prime Minister said: “I have advised the Governor-General to issue the writs of election, which will be held on Thursday, 16th of September 2021. We have a long tradition of peaceful elections; let us continue that proud tradition.”
The Minnis administration has been coming in for harsh criticism from the public, the private sector and sections of the media for his handling of the pandemic on the island. The main medical facility, the Princess Margaret Hospital, has been swamped with COVID-19 patients and no available bed space .
Teachers and health professionals are up in arms over their risk pay for work undertaken during the first wave of the virus on the island last year.
Sources on the ground in Nassau told SKNVibes that the Government is concerned that it might not return to office because of the state of the economy and the handling of the pandemic, despite receiving thousands of doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca Vaccines.
In explaining the the challenges of the pandemic across the globe and in the island’s case, Minnis thanked the people for partnering with his Government to combat the deadly-virus which has affected thousands and claimed hundreds of lives.
The island is still grappling with hesitancy towards vaccination and the Prime Minister called on the people to take the jab, as they have sourced more than they need at this time to vaccinate citizens and residents.
Last week the Government received approximately 128,000 doses of the Pfizer Vaccine from the US Government and a further 38,400 of the single dose Johnson and Johnson were received today.
The island currently has a received a total of 550,000 doses of the ASstraZeneca Vaccine, Johnson and Johnson, and the Pfizer Vaccine.
The Bahamas will join a long list of CARICOM member states that held elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, including St. Kitts and Nevis.
