[20220413]IF10666_巴哈马：概述.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated April 13, 2022The Bahamas: An OverviewPolitical and Economic Environment The Bahamas, a Caribbean nation of some 700 islands off the southeast coast of the United States, has been a stable parliamentary democracy since its independence from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1973. The countrys bicameral legislature has a 39-seat House of Assembly directly elected for five-year terms and a 16-member appointed Senate. Since independence, two political parties have dominated elections, the center-left Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the center-right Free National Movement (FNM). The PLP was formed in 1953 as an opposition party to the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which governed the Bahamas when the country was under British rule. In 1967, the PLP won control of the government and oversaw the countrys independence from the UK. It ruled continuously from 1967 until 1992 under the leadership of Lynden Pindling, commonly referred to as the “father of the nation.” The FNM was formed in 1971 by former members of the UBP and dissidents from the PLP. Under the leadership of Hubert Ingraham, the FNM won the 1992 general elections, governing over the next dec