Democratic National Alliance (Bahamas)

In December 2016, seven of the ten FNM House Members executed a vote of no confidence in then-Opposition Leader, Hubert Minnis. This was the first time that a no-confidence vote was staged in the Bahamas, either against a Prime Minister or Opposition Leader. After the seven members wrote a letter to the Governor-General on the matter, Member of Parliament for Long Island Loretta Butler-Turner was named the new Opposition Leader.[1] Her appointment marked the first time that a woman, a Long Islander, or a person not leading the political party of which they were a member, was charged to be Leader of the Opposition. Subsequent to her appointment, Butler-Turner named then-DNA leader Branville McCartney as Leader of Opposition Business in the Bahamas Senate. This was the first time in which the DNA has been named to the upper chamber, and the first time in which a politician from one party appointed a member of a rival party to lead the Bahamas senate.[2] After months of coalition discussions between opposition parties in advance of the 2017 elections, both Turner and McCartney in a joint Press Conference affirmed that uniting the opposition was the best plan for ousting the Progressive Liberal Party government in the impending elections. However, less than three months later, McCartney shocked the country by announcing his resignation from the Bahamas Senate on March 2, 2017, claiming that Loretta Butler-Turner had only "sown seeds of confusion since assuming her post, bringing no real leadership or focused ideas to the fore".[3] It is widely believed that the confusion that stemmed from this Senate saga crippled the DNA's favorability just three months before votes were cast, resulting in a 43% decrease in the party's vote tally when compared to their initial election performance five years prior.[4]

After a brief post-mortem period following the 2017 General Elections, former DNA leader Branville McCartney announced in October 2017 that he would resign as leader of the party.[5] Reflecting on his party's growth since 2011, McCartney thanked his supporters in his farewell address, remarking that his resignation was not "throwing it in the towel", but about "clearing a path so that other bright minds within our ranks have an opportunity to shine... so that our organization can move forward with new and fresh ideas."[6] Shortly thereafter and as mandated by the DNA's Constitution, McCartney's former deputy Christopher Mortimer was named the interim-leader of the DNA. A Special Meeting was then called for the election of a new Deputy Leader to fill the spot left vacant by Mr. Mortimer's new appointment, ultimately being filled by Arinthia Komolafe (the party's former Killarney candidate).

Fully invested in the rebuilding process, Mortimer announced that The DNA would host its second National Convention between the 22nd and 23 February 2019, while also declaring that he would not run for leader of the party. The event proved to be the most competitive in the party's history with all national offices up for election - In the end, Komolafe defeated challenger Kendal Smith (former Fox Hill Candidate) by a margin of 6:1, and in so doing became the first woman to lead a major political party in The Bahamas.[7][8] Buschme Armbrister beat out Brenda Harris-Pinder for the deputy leader spot, while DNA newcomer Omar Smith was successful over Rudy Dean in his bid for the chairman post.

• Official website