Bahamas News
Free National Movement Announces First Round of Ratified Candidates for Upcoming General Elections
The Bahamas, June 28, 2025 – The Free National Movement (FNM) this week announced its first round of 17 ratified candidates who will represent the party in the next General Election, reaffirming its commitment to proven leadership, integrity, and service to the Bahamian people. Together, the team represents the future of The Bahamas, united in their readiness to restore trust and transparency in government.
“The Bahamian people are tired of recycled promises and political pageantry. They deserve leadership that’s grounded in truth, driven by purpose, and ready to act. This is our first wave of candidates. These are the standard-bearers of the Free National Movement. They are community-rooted, credible, committed, and reflect the spirit and strength of the Bahamian people.”
“Together, they represent the next chapter of bold, people-centered leadership in The Bahamas.”
The first round of ratified FNM Candidates includes:
- Adrian R. White – St. Annes
Adrian White is an accomplished attorney and sitting Member of Parliament with a track record of principled leadership and legislative action. As Shadow Minister for Legal Affairs, Works, and Family Island Affairs, he has championed transparency, environmental safeguards, and better planning systems. A 14th-generation Bahamian and lifelong FNM member, Adrian is committed to restoring integrity in government and improving life for every Bahamian.
- Arinthia S. Komolafe – Carmichael
Arinthia Komolafe is a seasoned attorney, Chartered Banker, and former Managing Director of the Bahamas Development Bank, where she led groundbreaking reforms to modernize public finance. With a career spanning law, economic development, and global representation, she brings bold, visionary leadership to the national stage. Committed to empowering women, youth, and small businesses, Arinthia is running to deliver real opportunity and inclusive growth for all Bahamians.
- Brian Brown – Golden Isles
Brian Brown is a longtime community leader, mentor, and public servant with over 30 years of experience in youth development and the insurance industry. As the founder of Camp Golden Isles and a recipient of the British Empire Medal, he has been a tireless advocate for families and young people. As a trusted FNM leader in Golden Isles, Brian is running to deliver steady, accountable representation and real results for his community.
- Carlton Bowleg – North Andros and The Berry Islands
Carlton Bowleg is a veteran public servant and community leader with over 20 years of experience in government, business, and youth advocacy. As the sitting MP and former Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Marine Resources, he has championed Family Island development and educational support. Deeply rooted in North Andros, Carlton is running to continue delivering real results with honest, hardworking leadership.
- Darren Henfield – South Beach
Darren Henfield is a former Cabinet Minister, Defence Force officer, and seasoned attorney who brings decades of experience in national security, foreign affairs, and public service. Now serving as Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, he has represented The Bahamas on the world stage and helped lead critical reforms at home. With steady, principled leadership, Darren is committed to serving with strength, integrity, and purpose in these defining times.
- Debra Moxey-Rolle – The Exumas & Ragged Island
A lifelong servant of Exuma, Debra Moxey-Rolle brings over 30 years of leadership in local government, banking, and community development. As a former Family Island Administrator for Exuma, Ragged Island, and Mayaguana, she has delivered real results from new infrastructure to expanded economic opportunity. A proud FNM member and community advocate, she’s running to build a stronger, more united Exuma for the next generation.
- Elsworth N. Johnson – Yammacraw
Elsworth Johnson is a former Cabinet Minister, Bar Association President, and police officer with decades of experience in law, public service, and national advocacy. Known for his work defending workers’ rights and expanding access to justice, he has helped shape major reforms with integrity and impact. Elsworth is running to restore trust in government and lead with courage, fairness, and service to the Bahamian people.
- Kwasi Thompson – East Grand Bahama
Kwasi Thompson is a seasoned lawmaker, former Cabinet Minister, and current MP for East Grand Bahama with over 20 years of public service. From digital transformation to hurricane recovery and small business growth, he has delivered real results that impact lives. With a strong legal foundation and a deep commitment to fiscal responsibility, Kwasi is running to secure a stronger economic future for Grand Bahama and The Bahamas.
- Dr. Jacqueline Penn-Knowles – Marathon
Dr. Jaqueline Penn-Knowles is a respected physician and healthcare pioneer with over 30 years of experience serving Bahamian families. As a leader in women’s health and fertility care, she has broken barriers in medicine and expanded access to critical services. Her record reflects the FNM’s commitment to people-first leadership and real solutions for better healthcare.
- Jeremy Sweeting – Central & South Abaco
Born and raised in Man-O-War Cay, Abaco, Jeremy Sweeting has dedicated nearly 20 years to public service as Chief Councillor of the Hope Town District. A committed community advocate and proud family man, he brings proven grassroots leadership, deep faith, and a passion for serving the Bahamian people.
- Marvin Dames – Mt. Moriah
Marvin Dames is a seasoned public servant with more than two decades of leadership in law enforcement and national security. A former Deputy Commissioner of Police and recipient of the Queen’s Police Medal, he brings unmatched experience in public safety, international policing, and crisis management. Dames has also served as Vice President of Security at Baha Mar and as Minister of National Security, where he championed reforms to modernize and professionalize The Bahamas’ security forces. With academic credentials from The Ohio State University, University of Leicester, and leadership programs at Yale and the University of Chicago, Dames is equipped to deliver strong, results-driven leadership for the Bahamian people.
- Michael A. Foulkes – Golden Gates
Michael A. Foulkes is a former Member of Parliament, legal and financial professional, and public servant with more than 20 years of experience in law, policy, and economic development. As Chairman of the BAIC, he led national upgrades with a focus on transparency and community benefit. Michael is running to expand opportunity, empower youth, and bring principled leadership back to public service.
- Dr. Nicholas Fox – Fox Hill
Dr. Nicholas Fox is a veteran medical professional, cancer survivor, and co-owner of The Medi-Center Group Clinics. With decades of service in healthcare and deep roots in the Fox Hill community, he brings a strong record of compassion, resilience, and public advocacy. As a candidate for the Free National Movement, Dr. Fox is committed to delivering better healthcare access and stronger community support for all Bahamians.
- Omar A. Isaacs – West Grand Bahama & Bimini
Omar A. Isaacs is a public servant, entrepreneur, and policy professional with deep roots in West Grand Bahama and Bimini and a vision for sustainable, community-driven growth. With experience at the Ministry of Tourism, Bahamas Investment Authority, and the Office of the Prime Minister, he has helped modernize investment processes and empower local businesses. A proud FNM legacy-bearer, Omar is running to deliver forward-looking leadership that creates real opportunities for families and the next generation of leaders.
- Philippa Kelly – Central & South Eleuthera
Philippa Kelly is a civic leader, business manager, and former Local Government Chairperson with over 15 years of experience serving the people of Eleuthera. From hospitality to development, she has championed local growth, empowered youth, and earned the trust of her community. Philippa is running to bring strong, compassionate leadership and real results to Central and South Eleuthera.
- Rickey Mackey – North Eleuthera
A lifelong resident of Harbour Island, Rickey Mackey has built a strong record of community service, serving as a District Council Member, Justice of the Peace, and Chair of key local committees including the Licensing Authority, Junkanoo, and North Eleuthera Regatta. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to culture, governance, and public trust.
- Terrece Bootle – North Abaco
Terrece Bootle is an educator, an award-winning public servant, and the first woman from Abaco appointed as a Family Island
Administrator, with decades of experience across local governance and national recovery. From leading classrooms to coordinating hurricane response in North Abaco, San Salvador, and Long Island, she has earned a reputation for resilience, service, and results. Terrece is running to bring strong, informed, and compassionate leadership home to North Abaco.
“This unveiling marks the beginning of a national campaign focused on the real issues affecting Bahamian families, including rising costs and inflation, youth unemployment, stalled healthcare and housing systems, threats to public safety, economic exclusion, and the erosion of public trust and accountability.”
“The FNM is inviting Bahamians to build and believe – to join a movement grounded in courage, competence and a commitment to deliver real progress, not empty promises.”
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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