FREE National Movement chairman Carl Culmer says he’s had no indication that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis will call an early general election despite widespread speculation to the contrary.

Mr Culmer said that while it may seem Dr Minnis is gearing up to ring the bell earlier than 2022, it has always been the FNM’s practice to begin campaign preparations as early as two years before an election.

The chairman went on to express his disappointment in House Speaker Halson Moultrie, who recently resigned from the FNM, for his prediction that Dr Minnis will call a general election in June of this year or shortly thereafter.

Mr Moultrie has said the government cannot go beyond the mid-year budget exercise without finding alternative ways to raise revenue in the form of more taxes. He said this would adversely affect the government’s chances of re-election.

Based on his circumstances, his experiences and analytical expertise, he “reached a conclusion that the election must be called very soon”, Mr Moultrie said on a local radio show.

So far both Dr Minnis and Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis have released campaign advertisements 15 months ahead of May 2022.

“As you are aware and he is aware of it, as the Constitution states that the election has to be called by the PM,” Mr Culmer told The Tribune. “The Speaker, he can have an opinion, but he doesn’t determine when the election will be.

“I am disappointed in my good brother. The way he is carrying on you never see any other Speaker behave in the manner that he is behaving. A Speaker is supposed to be neutral and the guardian and the person with the highest standard for the government. The way he is going around I have never seen that before. It’s shocking me and it’s very disturbing the way he’s behaving.

“I would expect more from him than he is showing us and the Bahamian society.”

He continued: “As normal during 2017 we were prepared two years in advance. We have our paraphernalia. We have our theme. We had our t-shirts, flags, our candidates on the ground working, so this is the same thing.

“The FNM always prepares at least a year and a half to two years out.”

Mr Culmer also hit out at critics of his party’s ratified candidates and government spending.

The party on Monday night confirmed an additional eight candidates.

They were all incumbents, including Frankie Campbell for Southern Shores, Michael Pintard for Marco City, Iram Lewis for Central Grand Bahama, Adrian Gibson for Long Island; Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Reuben Rahming for Pinewood, Rickey Mackey for North Eleuthera and Shanendon Cartwright for St Barnabas.

The FNM has ratified 25 candidates for the next general election — 19 incumbents and six newcomers.

“Contrary to the narrative the PLP is trying to put out there the FNM has done much over the last few years and our MPs have worked hard. I was listening to one of their surrogates talk on one of the talk shows about the money spent,” Mr Culmer said.

“It’s amazing the nonsense they come up with.

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