what type of government does the bahamas?
Parliamentary system Unitary state Constitutional monarchy
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 The monarchy of The Bahamas has its roots in the Spanish monarchy , under the authority of which the islands were first colonized in the late 15th century , and later the British monarchy , as a Crown colony , after 1717 . On 10 July 1973 , the country gained independence from the United Kingdom , retaining the then reigning monarch , Elizabeth II , as monarch of the newly formed monarchy of The Bahamas . The monarch is represented in the country by the Governor @-@ General of the Bahamas , Dame Marguerite Pindling . 

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 The Constitution vests the three branches of the state with different aspects of governmental power . The executive is made up of the President and the Cabinet , which is headed by the Prime Minister . The Cabinet is accountable to the electorate and is an embodiment of representative democracy . The President is elected by the people to act as a constitutional safeguard in protecting the national reserves and preserving the integrity of the public service . To qualify as a presidential candidate , stringent criteria must be satisfied . 

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 At the local level , the island 's 22 provinces are administered by a governor and provincial council . Provinces are further sub @-@ divided into regions and communes . The judiciary is modeled on the French system , with a High Constitutional Court , High Court of Justice , Supreme Court , Court of Appeals , criminal tribunals , and tribunals of first instance . The courts , which adhere to civil law , lack the capacity to quickly and transparently try the cases in the judicial system , often forcing defendants to pass lengthy pretrial detentions in unsanitary and overcrowded prisons . 

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 A variety of religious denominations are represented in the islands . 

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 In the American federalist system , citizens are usually subject to three levels of government : federal , state , and local . The local government 's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments . In almost all cases , executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district . There is no proportional representation at the federal level , and it is rare at lower levels . 
