NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) — More than 209,000 Bahamians have registered to vote in Tuesday’s general election that Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis called ahead of the constitutional deadline hoping to become the first administration in more than a decade to win consecutive terms in office.

The last national poll conducted before the election by Public Domain Research & Strategy found the Davis-led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leading among likely voters, with a clear majority confident that the upcoming election will be free and fair.

Among likely voters, the PLP leads with 46 per cent, followed by the Coalition of Independents at 22 per cent and the Free National Movement (FNM) at 18 per cent.

The poll also found Davis leading as the preferred choice for prime minister, with 42 per cent support among likely voters.

Davis had guided the PLP to power in the September 16, 2021 general  election, winning 32 of the 39 seats with the remainder going to the then ruling Free National Movement.

This time around, there are 41 seats at stake in the election with 25 of the 41 constituencies being located on New Providence. Grand Bahama accounts for five, while the remaining constituencies span the Family Islands, with some districts covering multiple islands and cays.

For the first time Bahamians will use biometric voting cards that the Government said is intended to modernise the electoral system, but the Opposition FNM has charged that this forms part of the efforts to steal the elections.

The elections are being monitored by several observer teams including from the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The assistant Commissioner of the Parliamentary Registration Department, Denise Pinder, says she expects a smooth turn out at the polls, unlike the situation that occurred during the advance polling late last month, when the FNM claimed that thousands of people were disenfranchised.

The Coalition of Independents (COI) is aiming to challenge the two-party system, focusing on empowering Bahamians, fighting corruption and strict immigration control, gaining the attention as a third-party force following the 2021 elections.

Political observers say unlike the last general election, the results this time around are too close to call with Davis promising sweeping reforms if returned to office, including expanded affordable housing, stronger protections for renters, broader healthcare access, new training programmes and faster approvals for entrepreneurs and developers.

Davis said a re-elected PLP government would train 25,000 Bahamians through the Upskill Bahamas initiative by 2031 and build on programmes already introduced, including the National Apprenticeship Programme.

But FNM leader, Michael Pintard, told supporters that the PLP had betrayed public trust and should be removed from office.

He said an FNM government would tackle corruption in public agencies and that the governing party had repeatedly lied to voters.