Conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Conventional short form: The Bahamas
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of The Bahamas
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 6-9 years
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Marguerite PINDLING (since 8 July 2014)
Head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 8 May 2012)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by governor general on recommendation of prime minister
Elections:
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of the 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) and the House of Assembly (38 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms); note - the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time
Elections: last held on 7 May 2012 (next to be held by May 2017)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 48.6%, FNM 42.1%, DNA 8.5%, other.8%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 9
Highest resident court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 4 justices, organized in 3-member panels); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 9 justices – as of 2015)
Note: as of 2008, the Bahamas was not a party to the agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice as the highest appellate court for the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) serves as the final court of appeal for The Bahamas
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
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