The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL constituencies are set to see expanded voter bases under proposals from the Constituency Boundaries Commission, including the creation of a new western New Providence seat spanning communities in Golden Isles, Killarney and Southern Shores.

The commission’s report, tabled in the House of Assembly by Speaker Patricia Deveaux, confirms what The Tribune reported earlier this week: the creation of a new constituency to be called St James, along with a separate Bimini and Berry Islands seat.

The proposals are aimed at addressing population shifts and maintaining voter parity, while keeping the total number of polling divisions nationwide unchanged at 501. They also recommend adjustments to constituency names and boundary alignments.

Proposed changes affect a wide range of constituencies, including Bain and Grants Town, Centreville, Englerston, Fort Charlotte, Free Town, Garden Hills, Golden Isles, Killarney, St Annes, St Barnabas, Southern Shores, Tall Pines, Central Grand Bahama, Marco City and Abaco.

In its report, the commission said it relied on past boundaries reports, recent election data and the latest census in formulating its recommendations.

Several MPs whose constituencies would be affected said the proposed changes would not alter their political plans.

Killarney MP Dr Hubert Minnis said he was not a “runner” and intended to remain in the constituency, adding that he would review the proposals to assess their impact.

West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Kingsley Smith said he planned to remain on Grand Bahama but welcomed the proposal to create a standalone Bimini seat, calling it “something that they wanted for quite some years now.”

He pointed to Bimini’s growing economy and ongoing road and infrastructure projects, saying residents often felt disadvantaged by being tied to West Grand Bahama.

“With the new proposal, it gives me the whole of West Grand Bahama and that is a hovering task,” he said. “The challenge with those islands is that one member of parliament have to take the time or share time between those islands. Each island wants the attention of their politician or their member of parliament.”

Under the proposals, the new St James constituency would absorb polling divisions 1, 2, 5, 10 and 14 from Golden Isles; polling division 4 from Southern Shores; polling divisions 3 and 11 from Killarney, along with three parcels from polling division 4 currently in Killarney. Polling divisions 4, 7 and 12 from Tall Pines would also be reassigned to St James.

The affected areas include Adelaide, Coral Harbour, Renaissance and Dignity Gardens, as well as Southwest Ridge, Jacaranda, Serenity, Mount Pleasant Village and parts of South Ocean.

St James would have 5,149 registered voters, while the proposed Bimini and Berry Islands constituency would have 2,253 voters.

Other changes include the transfer of polling division 5 in Bain and Grants Town, which covers areas near Infant View Road, to Fort Charlotte, reducing Bain and Grants Town’s voter count to 4,581.

Centreville would give up polling division 3 to St Barnabas, leaving Centreville with 4,847 voters. The polling division covers areas between Wulff Road and Deveaux Street.

In eastern New Providence, Free Town would lose polling division 4, Little Blair, to St Annes, reducing its voter count from 4,557 in 2021 to 4,497. Garden Hills would gain polling division 1 from Englerston but lose polling division 10 to Tall Pines, leaving it with 5,211 voters.

St Barnabas would receive polling division 3 from Centreville, while polling division 3 from St Barnabas would be reassigned to Fort Charlotte.

Outside New Providence, the report outlines several changes for Grand Bahama. In Central Grand Bahama, polling divisions 2 and 10 would be reassigned to West Grand Bahama, increasing Central Grand Bahama’s voter total from 5,896 to 5,984. West Grand Bahama and North Andros would become standalone constituencies.

In Marco City, a portion of polling division 15, including areas near the International Bazaar, would be moved to polling division 13 in Pineridge.

On Abaco, the commission recommends moving polling divisions 10 and 11, including Dundas Town, from North Abaco to Central and South Abaco, reducing North Abaco’s voter count from 4,121 to 4,097.

The commission reported a total of 195,594 registered voters, based on data from the Parliamentary Registration Department.

It also proposed renaming The Exumas & Ragged Island as “Exuma & Ragged Island”, and Mangrove Cay & South Andros as “Central, Mangrove Cay & South Andros”.

In a statement, the Progressive Liberal Party welcomed the report, describing the redistribution as a normal feature of a healthy democracy.

“This is a sensible response to growth and shifts in where people live, and it strengthens representation, particularly in areas where constituencies have grown beyond what is manageable for one member of parliament to serve effectively,” the party said.