Incumbent won Elizabeth seat with more than double the votes
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Elizabeth MP Dr Duane Sands has expressed confidence in a Free National Movement (FNM) nod for the Elizabeth constituency, a seat he won by a landslide in the 2017 General Election.
“So, I mean there’s a huge number of people who are not yet nominated or ratified, right,” said Sands, in response to questions from Eyewitness News on his nomination expectations.
“So, if you remember in the 2017 election, this was the same discussion; ‘oh, is Sands going to be nominated? Is he going to be ratified by the FNM?’
“So, all I can say is let’s let this play out, and I expect fully that I will be nominated on the Free National Movement’s ticket.”
In 2017, Sands received more than double the votes of Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate Henry Storr — 2,863 compared to 1,419.
The votes for Sands represented just over 60 percent.
It was also 938 more votes than he received in the 2012 General Election, where he was beaten by Ryan Pinder by just 124 votes — 1,925 compared to Pinder’s 2,049.
The FNM’s Central Council is expected to meet this evening to ratify additional candidates.
The Elizabeth constituency is expected to be among them.
The FNM ratified 17 candidates earlier this month, including 11 incumbents.
These included Marathon MP Romauld “Romi” Ferreira, Free Town MP Dionisio D’Aguilar, Tall Pines MP Donald “Don” Saunders, South Beach MP Jeffrey “Jeff” Lloyd, Mount Moriah MP Marvin Dames, Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells, Yamacraw MP Elsworth Johnson, MICAL MP Miriam Emmanuel, Golden Gates MP Michael Foulkes, North Abaco MP Darren Henfield and Bains and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson.
FNM Chairman Carl Culmer said the candidates were ratified with “exuberant consensus” following a special call meeting of the Central Council.
Just days after the ratifications, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, the leader of the FNM, said the party was in the advanced stages of evaluating potential candidates for the remaining constituencies and the decisions made will be based on careful consideration and the need for the “ongoing renewal of the FNM”.
Minnis cautioned that some candidates who ran in the previous general election will not be running again.
“The party is grateful for the service of all incumbents who are moving on. They have been instrumental in helping our administration advance policies to empower Bahamians,” he said.
“There will be much public speculation as decisions are made as to who will and who will not run.
“Out of respect and courtesy, our party will first privately inform those incumbents who will not be nominated again before we make public announcements.”
