Shadow Minister of Works and Local Government and St Annes MP Adrian White has called for the resignation of Minister Clay Sweeting over what he described as the “disastrous” handling of the 2025 national local government elections.

In a statement released today, Mr White criticized the disorganized execution of the elections, citing ineligible candidates being allowed to run, delays in balloting, and the failure to produce official results more than a week after polling. He further condemned the indefinite postponement of swearing-in ceremonies and the lack of clarity from the Acting Parliamentary Commissioner.

Mr White pointed to a 2008 precedent in which a Cabinet minister resigned due to a similar electoral mishandling as he called for Mr Sweeting to take responsibility and step down.

"The people of the affected communities and the people of the Bahamas at large are owed an explanation and an apology for this botched affair," the St Anne's MP said.

"Perhaps the minister should follow the lead of his predecessor and do the honorable thing. He ought to take responsibility for this unmitigated disaster and resign."

In 2008, former Lands and Local Government Minister and FNM MP Sidney Collie resigned from his post after court action determined the proper processes were not followed in the run-up to the local government elections.

In his statement to Parliament at the time, Mr Collie said: "It is central to our system of Cabinet government that Ministers should accept responsibility for ministerial action or inaction, so having regard to the order of the mistakes made in this matter, I have decided that it would be in the best interest of the people and the Government for me to relinquish the office of Minister of Lands and Local Government."