The Bahamas has been a fully independent nation since 1973 and holds membership in the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the Organization of American States. This long-standing democratic heritage and maturity as an independent state makes The Bahamas one of the safest and most stable international locations for investments. The Bahamian political system is based on the British Parliamentary system. The Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate. Members of the House of Assembly, numbering 49, are directly elected every 5 years, while the 16 members of the Senate are appointed by the Governor General.
Elections are competitive, with wide public participation, and always peaceful.
The Executive Branch is comprised of a Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister and includes a minimum of 8 other Ministers, one of whom must be the Attorney General. The governing Free National Movement was elected to office in 1992, following 25 years of government by the Progressive Liberal Party Today, the Bahamian Prime Minister is The Right Honorable Hubert A. Ingraham. The Bahamian Judiciary is a well established and fully independent branch of government. English Common Law is the basis of the judicial system, although there is a large body of Bahamian statutory law. Parliamentary democracy has been sustained uninterrupted for 266 years.