Editing The Bahamas (section)

===Post-independence===

Shortly after independence, the Bahamas joined the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]] on 22 August 1973,<ref>{{cite news|title=Bahamas Joins IMF, World Bank|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=23 August 1973|page=C2|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/148399257/|access-date=10 July 2022|archive-date=10 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710174032/https://www.proquest.com/docview/148399257|url-status=live}}</ref> and later the [[United Nations]] on 18 September 1973.<ref>{{cite news|title=2 Germanys Join U.N. as Assembly Opens 28th Year|first=Robert|last=Alden|work=The New York Times|date=19 September 1973|page=1|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/119811597/|access-date=10 July 2022|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628094138/https://www.proquest.com/docview/119811597/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Politically, the first two decades were dominated by Pindling's PLP, who went on to win a string of electoral victories. Allegations of corruption, links with drug cartels and financial malfeasance within the Bahamian government failed to dent Pindling's popularity. Meanwhile, the economy underwent a dramatic growth period fuelled by the twin pillars of tourism and [[offshore finance]], significantly raising the [[standard of living]] on the islands. The Bahamas' booming economy led to it becoming a beacon for immigrants, most notably from [[Haiti]].<ref name="Britannica, Bahamas"/>
[[File:Hurricane Dorian destruction -Bahamas.jpg|thumb|Hurricane Dorian's destruction in The Bahamas]]
[[1992 Bahamian general election|In 1992]], Pindling was unseated by [[Hubert Ingraham]] of the FNM.<ref name=DN />{{rp|p.78}} Ingraham went on to win the [[1997 Bahamian general election]], before being defeated [[2002 Bahamian general election|in 2002]], when the PLP returned to power under [[Perry Christie]].<ref name=DN />{{rp|p.82}} Ingraham returned to power from 2007 to 2012, followed by Christie again from 2012 to 2017. With economic growth faltering, Bahamians re-elected the FNM in 2017, with [[Hubert Minnis]] becoming the fourth prime minister.<ref name="Britannica, Bahamas"/>

In September 2019, [[Hurricane Dorian]] struck the [[Abaco Islands]] and [[Grand Bahama]] at [[Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5|Category 5]] intensity, devastating the northwestern Bahamas. The storm inflicted at least [[United States dollar|US$]]7 billion in damages and killed more than 50 people,<ref name="Bahamas damage">{{Cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2019/09/05/hurricane-dorian-causes-7b-in-property-damage-to-bahamas/|title=Hurricane Dorian causes $7B in property damage to Bahamas|last=Fitz-Gibbon|first=Jorge|date=5 September 2019|access-date=5 September 2019|work=New York Post|archive-date=7 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907042530/https://nypost.com/2019/09/05/hurricane-dorian-causes-7b-in-property-damage-to-bahamas/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bahamas50deaths">{{cite news|last1=Stelloh|first1=Tim|title=Hurricane Dorian grows deadlier as more fatalities confirmed in Bahamas|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hurricane-dorian-grows-deadlier-more-fatalities-confirmed-bahamas-n1051766|access-date=10 September 2019|publisher=NBC News|date=9 September 2019|archive-date=15 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915144358/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hurricane-dorian-grows-deadlier-more-fatalities-confirmed-bahamas-n1051766|url-status=live}}</ref> with 1,300 people missing after two weeks.<ref name="missing in Bahamas">{{cite web|last1=Karimi|first1=Faith|last2=Thornton|first2=Chandler|title=1,300 people are listed as missing nearly 2 weeks after Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/12/americas/bahamas-dorian-thousands-missing-thursday/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=12 September 2019|access-date=13 September 2019|archive-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912205817/https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/12/americas/bahamas-dorian-thousands-missing-thursday/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[COVID-19 pandemic in the Bahamas|COVID-19 pandemic]] reached the Bahamas on 15 March 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=COVID-19 Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands Situation Reports|url=https://www.paho.org/en/tag/covid-19-bahamas-and-turks-and-caicos-islands-situation-reports|website=PAHO}}</ref>

At the [[2021 Bahamian general election|2021 general election]] the governing [[Free National Movement]] (FNM) lost to the opposition [[Progressive Liberal Party]] (PLP) as the economy struggled to recover from its deepest crash since at least 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bahamas Election Results|url=http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bs/elections/default.asp|access-date=17 September 2021|website=caribbeanelections.com|archive-date=17 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217195740/http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bs/elections/default.asp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bahamas Voters Oust Government After 16% Drop in Economic Output|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-16/bahamas-votes-in-knife-edge-election-after-16-economic-crash|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=17 September 2021|access-date=10 July 2022|archive-date=31 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331144107/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-16/bahamas-votes-in-knife-edge-election-after-16-economic-crash|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bahamas Election 2021: PLP election victory confirmed|url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/bahamas-election-2021-plp-election-victory-confirmed|work=Loop News|date=20 September 2021|access-date=10 July 2022|archive-date=26 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526210239/https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/bahamas-election-2021-plp-election-victory-confirmed|url-status=live}}</ref> On 17 September 2021 the chairman of the PLP, [[Philip Davis (Bahamian politician)|Phillip Davis]], was sworn in as the new prime minister, succeeding [[Hubert Minnis]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=McLeod|first1=Sheri-Kae|title=Phillip Davis Sworn in as Prime Minister of Bahamas .|url=https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/caribbean-breaking-news-featured/phillip-davis-sworn-in-as-prime-minister-of-bahamas/|work=Caribbean News|date=17 September 2021|access-date=10 July 2022|archive-date=30 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630001433/https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/caribbean-breaking-news-featured/phillip-davis-sworn-in-as-prime-minister-of-bahamas/|url-status=live}}</ref>