BREAKING NEWS: BAHAMAS PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED

LATEST UPDATE: PM Hubert Ingraham sets May 7th for the date for general elections in 38 constituencies and May 23 as the first day of the new parliament. 


READ FULL TEXT OF ADDRESS TO THE NATION HERE


LISTEN: Provost Marshall dissolves parliament.  HOWEVER no election date was set. 




UPDATE: The Tribune newspaper cites insiders who claim election date has been set for May 7, 2012. Not confirmed. 

NASSAU, Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has advised the Governor-General to dissolve parliament in a statement released around midday on Tuesday.

Ingraham is expected to address the nation tonight at 8pm on national television and radio airwaves.

Both major political parties—the governing Free National Movement (FNM) and Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)—held events on Monday.

Rt. Hon. Hubert Alexander Ingraham
(FNM2012.org)

At a political beach party on the Easter Monday holiday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham told the crowd of supporters that “voters are very happy.”

He added that: “The roads are opened. (On) Prince Charles Drive you can drive from one end to the other; now on Market Street from Duke Street to Robinson Road; Baillou Hill South, down as far as Soldier Road and between now and the end of the month you will be able to go straight down to Carmichael Road.”

According to parliamentary officials, after the dissolution of parliament an election must take place within 21 days and no more than 30 days.  That would mean that the earliest a general election could be called would be May 2, 2012.

UPDATE: The Provost-Marshall expected to make an announcement on the steps of the house of the assembly around 1:45 EDT. 


LINKS: 


FREE NATIONAL MOVEMENT WEBSITE


PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL PARTY WEBSITE