NASSAU, Bahamas, Oct 26, CMC – The chairman of the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM), Dr. Duane Sands says that “the Road to Convention Begins” and that the party will take steps to propose a formal date and to operationalise the secretariat to ensure the convention takes place.
The announcement comes even as the party faithfuls were told over the last weekend that the current FNM leader, Michael Pintard, is the least popular of the country’s three main party leaders.
The damning report came from Jamaican researchers who conducted a postmortem, who also said that Pintard is seen as the “most petty” even as they acknowledged that he is not solely to blame for the party’s crushing election defeat in the May 12, 2026 polls.
They point to a campaign message that failed to resonate with voters, low visibility among candidates and the lack of a clear plan to make this happen.
Opposition legislator, Dr. Andre Rollins had publicly objected to the FNM engaging the Jamaican researchers, whose names were not revealed, to conduct its postmortem and in leaked audio of the meeting, Rollins can be heard challenging the researchers’ findings that Pintard is only an asset in Grand Bahama.
“This isn’t personal. Please don’t take this personally, but if the leader is an asset in Grand Bahama, are you then saying he’s a liability in New Providence because only eight per cent of the people in New Providence said they support our leader?” Rollins asked.
“What I’m telling you is we will not get where we need to go and want to go if we are afraid of the truth and if we are afraid to discuss the full issues” Rollins said, adding that there can be no analysis without the truth.
But in a statement issued after the party’s two-day post-election conclave, Sands said that “a record-number “of FNMs from around the country came together “to look honestly at who we are and what we must become.
“We thank the organisers who made it possible, our invited guests, our former candidates, the Opposition caucus and every member who gave up their weekend to be in the room. This was a strong beginning, and we say plainly that it is only a beginning.”
Sands said that during the conclave “ we put our own internal research and the views of the wider public and our stakeholders on the table.
“Many organizations keep findings like these behind closed doors. We chose to hear them together, because a party that cannot hear the truth about itself cannot ask the country to trust it.”
He said that the conclave also considered the culture of the organization, its messaging, personnel from leadership to volunteers, and deficiencies in our voting system.
“Members spoke candidly about what has worked, what has not, and what they expect from their party going forward. Their honesty is an asset, and we intend to use it.”
Sands said that the data among the findings, spotlighted two clear priorities.
“First, a need to prioritize member retention, recruitment and re-engagement before the next campaign. A party is only as strong as the people who feel at home in it. Second, we need a simpler, more effective message and clearer messengers. Our focus must be practical solutions to the issues that weigh on the majority of Bahamians in a modern electorate.
“We accept both findings, and every data point in-between, with humility,” Sands said, adding a post-mortem is only as good as the action taken as a result of it.
“To the member who has stepped back, the supporter who has never joined, the young Bahamian looking for a place to contribute, and the former candidate ready to serve again, make no mistake that this party has room for you. This is the time to rebuild the FNM from the ground up. The work does not wait for convention. It begins today. Use this link to sign up and help us build what comes next.”
Sands said that at the request of those who attended the conclave “our internal survey will keep running and will be extended to members who have not yet received it.
“We apologise to those whom we missed in its initial run,” Sands said, adding that “through the FNM Central Council, the party will take steps to propose a formal date and to operationalize the secretariat that will make this happen.
“The Free National Movement has faced setbacks before, and each time it has come back by listening and then acting. Join us as we do both for the good of our party and country,” Sands added.
CMC/jg/ir/2026