By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 6, 2023 – Today was nomination day for candidates who are seeking to be elected to the Bahamas House of Assembly seat that became vacant following the death on September 26 of the area’s representative Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting.
Bahamas Prime Minister Philip E. Davis posted a collection of photos on his Facebook taken as he and other Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) officials and hordes of PLP supporters accompanied PLP candidate Kingsley Smith to Mount Zion Baptist Church Hall in Jones Town Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, to submit his nomination papers.
I absolutely had to share the photos posted by the Prime Minister and his comments that accompanied them with readers of my online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the united Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
In the narrative that accompanied the photos, Prime Minister Davis stated: “As we nominate Kingsley Smith today, I am filled with pride knowing he will join our government to push forward the progress of West Grand Bahama & Bimini. Let’s send him to where he can make the most impact. On Nov 22, let’s vote for direct action and results.”
The bye-election set for West Grand Bahama and Bimini seat will be held on November 22 between the hours of 8am to 6pm.
In addition to PLP candidate Smith, others vying for the West End and Bimini seat include Bishop Ricardo Grant, the official opposition Free National Movement (FNM) candidate; Lincoln Bain, the Coalition of Independents; and Independent candidate Terneille Burrows.
It will be the first bye-election in The Bahamas since 2012. According to Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Arthur Taylor there are 5,682 people registered to vote in the West End and Bimini constituency.
