Above: PLP Leader Perry Christie
By the Caribbean Journal staff
BREAKING: The Bahamas’ Opposition Progressive Liberal Party has won the country’s election, unseating the Free National Movement in Monday’s vote.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham conceded defeat at an address at the FNM’s party headquarters on Mackey Street, saying the FNM accepted the results of the election.
Ingraham also resigned as a Member of Parliament, saying he would return to private life. He also resigned as leader of the FNM.
The win means Perry Christie, who served as Bahamian Prime Minister from 2002 to 2007, has returned to power.
The PLP said it had unconfirmed results of 27 seats of 38 contested, an as-yet-unconfirmed number.
“Today, the Bahamas once again demonstrated the vitality and endurance of our proud democratic heritage,” Ingraham said.
The PLP, which dominated Bahamian politics for decades under the leadership of Sir Lynden Pindling, the country’s first-ever Prime Minister, won a majority of seats, although official results are not complete.
In something of an upset, Branville McCartney, leader of the new Democratic National Alliance party, lost his Bamboo Town seat to Renward Wells.
Updated 10:38 PM