Three days to the vote. Saturday rundown.
Court denies BCP injunction; May 12 election holds
Justice Leif Farquharson on Friday afternoon denied an application by Bahamas Constitutional Party leader S Ali McIntosh for an injunction to halt the May 12 general election. McIntosh had cited concerns about the integrity of the voters’ register, pointing to multiple Magistrate’s Court cases involving foreign nationals accused of fraudulently possessing voter cards.
McIntosh said she will wait for Farquharson’s written ruling before deciding next steps. Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson has repeatedly defended the integrity of the register.
The election proceeds Tuesday.
OAS deploys 21 observers from 14 nations
The Organisation of American States has deployed its Electoral Observation Mission ahead of the vote. The 21-member team, drawn from 14 nations, will focus on electoral organization and boundaries, electoral technology, electoral justice, political-electoral finance, and the political participation of women.
The mission will meet with government officials, electoral authorities, candidates, and civil society leaders, and will monitor polling stations from opening through tabulation and transmission of results. An observers’ report is expected within two weeks.
This is the kind of process that quietly raises confidence at the margins. Worth tracking the recommendations more than the day-of soundbites.
Bahamas Christian Council: keep it peaceful
Newly appointed Bahamas Christian Council president Mario Moxey issued an open letter to candidates urging respectful, peaceful dialogue ahead of Tuesday’s vote. The appeal follows controversial behaviour involving several candidates in recent weeks — including a viral video showing FNM Garden Hills candidate Rick Fox being restrained during a heated exchange at an advance polling site.
Moxey is hosting an hour of prayer for a peaceful election Monday at Living Waters Kingdom Ministries.
Quick hits
- Exuma: Police are searching for two men who went missing during a boating trip Sunday.
- East Bay Street: A 42-year-old man was found dead in a storage unit Wednesday afternoon; police are investigating a suspected suicide.
- Operation Black Scorpion: Officers seized an illegal firearm and ammunition concealed inside a teddy bear during a Wednesday operation on Dunmore Street.
- Eleuthera: Police are searching for 25-year-old Travis Saunders, who escaped lawful custody from the Bluff Police Station Wednesday afternoon while held on a causing-harm matter.
Tradewinds Brief Newsroom. Sources: The Tribune, Eyewitness News.