Good morning, Bahamas. Forty-eight hours until you decide.
OAS observers received at Government House
Governor General Dame Cynthia Pratt received representatives of the Organization of American States Electoral Observation Mission in a courtesy call at Government House on Friday. The Commonwealth Observer Group was received earlier in the week. International observation is, in a closely contested election, the kind of thing both sides claim they want and neither side is entirely comfortable with.
Pintard: my net worth is $3.9 million
Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard told a recent news conference that his current net worth stands at $3.9 million, up from a million in 2021, with assets totalling roughly $4 million. Pintard’s argument is that the Davis administration should look at “some of his colleagues whose wealth is twice as much now” — a pointed reference to Cabinet members whose declared wealth has, in his telling, “spiked.” More than fifty candidates across both parties are millionaires. Whichever way the count goes Tuesday night, the millionaires win.
The Dames scandal: still hanging
The scandal involving National Security Minister Marvin Dames continues to shadow the closing days of the campaign. Bahamas Press has been pushing the story; the government has been less forthcoming. Whether it cuts through with voters in the final 48 hours is the question every analyst is now asking.
Constitutional Party challenge fails
A judge dismissed an application for an injunction to halt the May 12 general election after Bahamas Constitutional Party leader S. Ali McIntosh raised concerns about the integrity of the voters’ register. The election proceeds. The concerns will be folded into post-election commentary regardless of the outcome.
Coral Gardens search warrants and an East Bay death
Police executed a search warrant at a Peridot Place residence in Coral Gardens earlier in the week. Separately, a 42-year-old man was found dead inside a storage unit at a business establishment on East Bay Street; police are treating the matter as a suspected suicide. Both stories are part of the slow grind of weekday Nassau crime reporting that the campaign has not allowed to dominate the front pages.
Mobile blood bank launched
Health Minister Dr. Michael Darville said earlier in the week that the introduction of a mobile blood bank marks a major milestone for the Public Hospitals Authority and Princess Margaret Hospital. The unit will serve New Providence and is expected to expand. Hospital union concerns about staffing remain unresolved.
Mother’s Day
Sunday is Mother’s Day. The Urban Renewal Authority hosted two hundred mothers Thursday at the Foster B. Pestaina Centre. The Bahamas Mother’s Club held its annual Praise and Thanksgiving service. The day is for them.
— Tradewinds Brief Newsroom