NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Less than a week after securing a second win at the polls, Prime Minister Philip Davis has named a 29-member Cabinet for his new administration, carrying an estimated annual salary cost of approximately $1.892 million to taxpayers.
The new Cabinet includes 21 ministers with assigned portfolios and seven ministers of state. Davis, while serving as prime minister, has not been assigned an additional ministerial portfolio.
Under the Parliamentarians (Salaries and Allowances) Act, the prime minister earns $86,000 annually. Cabinet ministers with portfolios earn an annual salary of $66,000, while ministers of state receive $60,000 annually. These salaries are in addition to the base salary for Members of Parliament, which stands at $28,000 per year.
The combined salaries for the 21 Cabinet ministers total an estimated $1.386 million annually, while the seven ministers of state account for an additional $420,000.
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, who also serves as Minister of Education, is expected to receive the largest overall compensation package at roughly $170,000 annually. His salary is made up of $76,000 as deputy prime minister, $66,000 in ministerial pay, and $28,000 as an MP.
Meanwhile, Senator Wayne Munroe, who oversees the Office of the Attorney General and serves as Minister of Legal Affairs, is expected to earn approximately $78,500 annually. That figure includes the $66,000 ministerial salary and an additional $12,500 Senate stipend.
Similarly, Senator Barbara Cartwright, appointed Minister of Social Services, and former Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald, now a senator and Minister of Economic Affairs, are expected to earn approximately $78,500 annually.
While the remaining MPs who were appointed to Cabinet have annual salaries listed at around $94,000, that figure reflects only their ministerial salary and MP pay combined.
The Davis administration previously faced criticism following the 2021 snap election after appointing a 22-member Cabinet, including ministers of state.
According to existing law, the Cabinet is traditionally expected to comprise nine members, including the prime minister, deputy prime minister, and attorney general.
Speaking during Saturday’s final swearing-in ceremony at Government House, Davis defended his administration’s leadership approach amid global uncertainty.
“Economies are shifting. Institutions are being tested. People are asking harder questions of governments and of leaders. They want stability. They want competence,” Davis said.
“They want leadership that understands both the pressures of the present and the demands of the future.”
Under the Act, the Speaker of the House earns an annual salary of $80,000, while the Deputy Speaker receives $32,000 annually. The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker do not receive an MP’s salary in addition to this compensation, based on the Act.
The Leader of the Opposition earns $50,000 annually.
In the Senate, the President of the Senate earns $17,500 per year, while the Vice President of the Senate earns $15,000 annually. Like the Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the lower chamber, they do not receive a senator’s salary in addition to these amounts. Senators earn $12,500 annually.
Opposition Leader Michael Pintard is expected to receive his instruments of appointment from the governor general on Monday at 10 a.m.
The country’s 41 Members of Parliament are also expected to convene on Wednesday for the opening of the new parliamentary session.
