he Bahamas has been a parliamentary democracy for over 270 years.
In the last forty years, The Bahamas had undergone the peaceful transition from self-rule to independence.
In 1964, the country gained internal self-government rule under the British Government. The late Sir Roland Symonette was named Premier.
In 1967, The Bahamas elected its first black majority party government with Premier Lynden O. Pindling at the helm and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) winning the majority of the seats. The Pindling administration and PLP remained in power and retained a political monopoly on the country for 26 years.
Under Pindling's administration, The Bahamas achieved independence from British Rule. On July 10, 1973, it became a free and sovereign Commonwealth and began the arduous process of making a place for itself in the international community.
Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Ingraham and his FNM government were elected in 1992 with more than 55 percent of the votes. Due to their progressive contributions to The Bahamian economy, Ingraham and the FNM were re-elected in 1997 and will remain in power until 2001.
