Bahamas News
Davis Unveils One Of The Largest Cabinets in Modern Bahamian History
The Bahamas, May 22, 2026 – Just days after securing a commanding re-election victory, Prime Minister Philip Davis has unveiled what appears to be one of the largest Cabinets in modern Bahamian political history — fueling debate over government spending, parliamentary independence and the concentration of executive power.
The new administration now includes 29 members of Cabinet, counting the Prime Minister himself, following the swearing in of 21 Cabinet
The appointments come after the Progressive Liberal Party secured 33 seats in the country’s expanded 41-seat Parliament.
Critics are already pointing to the math.
Had all Cabinet appointees been selected strictly from elected Members of Parliament, only four PLP MPs would have remained outside government. Instead, several Senate appointments were used to fill ministerial posts, slightly widening the governing bench but still leaving a comparatively slim independent backbench on the government side of the House.
That reality matters constitutionally and politically because Cabinet Ministers are members of the Executive branch and are bound by collective responsibility and confidentiality rules once sworn into office.
In Westminster parliamentary systems like The Bahamas, backbench MPs traditionally provide an additional layer of scrutiny, debate and independent thought — even within the governing party.
Some observers now question whether a Cabinet of this size reduces the room for dissent or independent legislative oversight inside government ranks.
Others are raising concerns about costs at a time when Bahamians continue facing affordability pressures, rising utility bills and broader economic uncertainty.
The expansion also follows recent changes to constituency boundaries which increased the House of Assembly from 39 to 41 seats — meaning additional MPs, additional parliamentary costs and now a larger executive structure.
Historically, Bahamian Cabinets have fluctuated in size depending on administrations and political strategy, but governments traditionally operated with significantly smaller executive teams than the one now assembled.
The Davis administration, however, argues the country’s development agenda requires expanded leadership portfolios and specialized oversight.
Among the changes are re-engineered ministries and at least one newly created portfolio.
The full Cabinet includes:
Senior Leadership
- Hon. Philip Edward “Brave” Davis — Prime Minister
- Hon. Isaac Chester Cooper — Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Education
Cabinet Ministers
- Hon. Michael Halkatis — Finance
- Hon. Wayne Munroe — Attorney General & Legal Affairs
- Hon. Frederick Mitchell — Foreign Affairs
- Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin — Tourism
- Hon. Michael Darville — Health
- Hon. Clay Sweeting — Works & Family Island Affairs
- Hon. Keith Bell — Housing & Land Reform
- Hon. Jo-Beth Coleby-Davis — Energy, Utility & Aviation
- Hon. Ginger Moxey — Grand Bahama
- Hon. Mario Bowleg — Youth & Sports
- Hon. Jomo Campbell — Agriculture & Marine Resources
- Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle — Labour, Public Service & National Insurance
- Hon. Zane Lightbourne — Environment & Natural Resources
- Hon. Myles Laroda — National Security
- Hon. Leon Lundy — Transport
- Hon. Lisa Tammy Rahming — Urban Renewal & Community Relations
- Hon. Leslia Miller-Brice — Culture, Arts & Heritage
- Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald — Economic Affairs
- Hon. Barbara Cartwright — Social Services
- Hon. Sebastian Bastian — Innovation & National Development
Ministers of State
- Hon. Omar Rolle — Social Services
- Hon. Wayde Watson — Innovation & National Development
- Hon. Leonardo Lightbourne — Agriculture & Marine Resources
- Hon. Kirk Cornish — Office of the Prime Minister
- Hon. McKell Bonaby — Office of the Prime Minister
- Hon. Darren Pickstock — Immigration / Foreign Affairs
- Hon. Owen Wells — Health & Wellness
The appointments are expected to shape the PLP’s second consecutive term, making the Davis administration the first Bahamian government in nearly 30 years to secure back-to-back election victories.
But the size of the executive team is likely to remain part of the national conversation — particularly as Bahamians await details on government spending priorities, ministerial budgets and the overall cost of governance under the new administration.
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