THE TRUE STORY ON ELECTION OBSERVERS
The Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party Fred Mitchell had this to say about the invitation of Election Observers in The Bahamas on Wednesday 22 April 2026 in a voice note to PLP supporters:
As Chairman of the party, I’ve been asked a question about international observers in our elections coming up on the 12th of May. 2026. Well, it turns out this has become an issue because the leader of the opposition in his typical unpatriotic fashion sent out a communication to a foreign government, inviting them to observe the elections. He has no authority to invite anyone to come and observe elections.
The subtext seems to be to be somehow that Bahamians were not able to deliver free and fair elections on their own, without outside help. Hubert. Ingraham, the former Prime Minister, spoke to this issue during the last by-election and reminded the same Michael Pintard to drop this farcical notion that somehow the process of elections is flawed. Mr. Pintard knows that each political party has 3 reps inside the polling place and 3 outside, as a matter of law.
They are free along with the candidate to inspect the ballots, the polling place and object as they feel appropriate. But this fellow, the leader of the opposition Michael Pintard, loses no opportunity to diss Bahamians.
The first one to start this nonsense was a high-profile FNM attorney who called for international observers, as if this was some necessity or something that was a novel proposition.
Let me be clear. The law says the Governor-General after consultation with the Parliamentary Commissioner, can invite international observers. And I’m advised and verily believe that in accordance with that advice, the Governor-General has invited CARICOM, the Commonwealth, OAS and the Head of Mission of the United States and my hope is that other Heads of Mission will also be invited to do.
The FNM and its leader had nothing to do with inviting being foreign observers. This is all routine, and I will add this. When a fellow is drowning and losing, he sits up and tries to set up a pretext to explain his loss, but I quote Shakespeare, too mister politricks, “the fault, dear Brutus is not in the stars, but in ourselves”.