OTHER POPULAR FNMs could find themselves locked out of the FNM for good!
NASSAU| The Free National Movement (FNM) is facing a new wave of internal tensions after party chairman Dr Duane Sands announced that former leader and former prime minister Dr Hubert Minnis will be formally removed from party membership.
Although Sands did not specify a timeline, he stressed that the process will be carried out “in due course,” adding that the party is currently focused on the election campaign and “more important priorities.”
Minnis, who once led the FNM to a landslide victory in 2017, recently entered the Killarney race as an independent candidate, directly opposing the party’s official nominee. As a result, under constitutional amendments adopted in 2022, his move is automatically considered a resignation from the FNM.
In the Killarney constituency, Minnis will face FNM candidate Michela Barnett-Ellis, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate Robyn Lynes, and Coalition of Independents candidate Dr Veronica McIver.
Sands said the party has no intention of giving Minnis further political attention, describing his actions as “attention-seeking behaviour.” He also emphasized that the formal removal process will be carried out in accordance with party rules, but not urgently.
Despite the planned expulsion, FNM leadership has stressed that Minnis’s historical role will not be erased.
“The historical reality of Dr Hubert Minnis as a former prime minister and leader of the FNM remains unchanged,” Sands said, adding that the party “does not rewrite history.”
Minnis, on his part, reacted strongly to the developments, accusing the party of distancing itself from him and running a negative campaign against him and his family. He stressed that despite the political split, he remains loyal to the Killarney constituency, where he has long-standing ties.
With this, internal divisions within the FNM are becoming increasingly evident during a crucial election period, further complicating the party’s position ahead of the vote.
