GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The nine-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) Election Observation Mission (CEOM) has released its preliminary findings from The Bahamas’ recent general election, confirming that the Caribbean nation’s electorate was able to exercise their democratic right to vote in a calm, organized process earlier this week.
Deployed at the formal invitation of Dame Cynthia A Pratt, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the observer mission brings together electoral specialists from nine Caricom member states: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. Backed by technical and administrative support from the Caricom Secretariat, the mission launched its on-the-ground operations in The Bahamas on May 5, with activities set to wrap up officially this Friday.
In the lead-up to election day, the CEOM conducted extensive outreach across Bahamian society, holding consultations with a wide range of political, civil society, and community stakeholders to evaluate the state of pre-election preparations. On voting day itself, mission observers were distributed across the country’s two most populated islands – New Providence and Grand Bahama – where they tracked every stage of the electoral process, from the opening of polling stations and in-person voting protocols to the closure of polls and the final counting and tabulation of ballots.
Across their deployment, observers visited all five constituencies on Grand Bahama and 22 constituencies on New Providence, monitoring procedures at a total of 317 individual polling divisions. The mission’s preliminary report notes that the vast majority of polling locations received their election staff and required materials on schedule, allowing voting to begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. local time. Only a small number of stations faced minor start-up delays, the report adds.
CEOM observers also confirmed that a sufficient number of police personnel were deployed across all polling sites to maintain order, and that accredited party agents from every competing political party were present throughout the voting period to oversee proceedings. At nearly all stations, voters had ready access to full voter lists and dedicated information clerks trained to help electors locate their assigned polling divisions. Election workers were praised as courteous and well-trained, especially in their support for elderly and disabled voters seeking to cast ballots.
While the mission did document a small number of minor inconsistencies in the application of standardized electoral procedures across some sites, officials emphasized that these issues were isolated in scope and did not interfere with the overall flow or integrity of the voting process.
Voter turnout followed a predictable pattern throughout the day, the mission found, with steady streams of voters arriving during morning hours and in the period just before polls closed, while midday saw a lull in activity. The vast majority of polling stations closed on schedule at 6:00 p.m. local time, with a small number extending operating hours by a short margin to make up for earlier delayed openings.
Beyond voting, CEOM observers also monitored post-closing processes including the counting of ballots, sealing of used ballot boxes, and secure transfer of all electoral materials to designated holding facilities. The mission confirmed that ballot boxes were opened publicly and transparently in the presence of party agents, election officials, and observers, with preliminary results shared publicly in full compliance with established electoral rules.
In its formal interim statement, the CEOM said it was satisfied that the 2024 general election accurately reflected the will of the Bahamian people. “The polling day workers performed their duties professionally and must be commended,” the mission said, extending similar praise to police for their professional conduct and to Bahamian voters for turning out in an orderly fashion.
The mission also commended the Parliamentary Registration Department for its successful administration of the entire electoral process, and thanked the Bahamian public for upholding a peaceful environment across election day. A full final report, including detailed findings and targeted recommendations for future electoral improvements, will be submitted to the Caricom Secretary-General in the coming weeks.