{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/bahamas-independence-order-1973/schedule-1/paragraph-48",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/bahamas-independence-order-1973/schedule-1/paragraph-48.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1973/1080",
  "legislation_title": "The Bahamas Independence Order 1973",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/bahamas-independence-order-1973",
  "path": "schedule/1/paragraph/48",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "48",
  "heading": "Disqualifications for election as members of House of Assembly",
  "text": "(1) No person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the House of Assembly who—\n(a) is a citizen of a country other than The Bahamas having become such a citizen voluntarily;\n(b) is, by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state;\n(c) is disqualified for membership of the House of Assembly by any law enacted in pursuance of paragraph (2) of this Article;\n(d) has been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in The Bahamas and has not been discharged;\n(e) is a person certified to be insane or otherwise adjudged to be of unsound mind under any law in force in The Bahamas;\n(f) is under sentence of death imposed on him by a court in The Bahamas, or is serving a sentence of imprisonment (by whatever name called) exceeding twelve months imposed on him by such a court or substituted by competent authority for some other sentence imposed on him by such a court, or is under such a sentence of imprisonment the execution of which has been suspended;\n(g) is disqualified for membership of the House of Assembly by any law in force in The Bahamas by reason of his holding, or acting in, any office the functions of which involve—\n(i) any responsibility for, or in connection with, the conduct of any election; or\n(ii) any responsibility for the compilation or revision of any electoral register;\n(h) is disqualified for membership of the House of Assembly by virtue of any law in force in The Bahamas by reason of his having been convicted of any offence relating to elections;\n(i) is a Senator; or\n(j) is interested in any government contract and has not disclosed the nature of such contract and of his interest therein by publishing a notice in the Gazette within one month before the day of election.\n(2) Parliament may by law provide that, subject to such exceptions and limitations (if any) as may be prescribed therein, a person shall be disqualified for membership of the House of Assembly by virtue of—\n(a) his holding or acting in any office or appointment specified (either individually or by reference to a class of office or appointment) by such law;\n(b) his belonging to any armed force of The Bahamas or to any class of person so specified that is comprised in any such force; or\n(c) his belonging to any police force or to any class of person that is comprised in any such force.\n(3) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(f) of this Article—\n(a) two or more sentences of imprisonment that are required to be served consecutively shall be regarded as separate sentences if none of those sentences exceeds twelve months, but if any one of such sentences exceeds that term they shall be regarded as one sentence; and\n(b) no account shall be taken of a sentence of imprisonment imposed as an alternative to or in default of the payment of a fine.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1080/schedule/1/paragraph/48",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T22:06:14.990816+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}