By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell says he doesn’t expect the next general election to go all the way to October 26, 2026, the final date of the current parliamentary mandate, but believes it’s “at least a year” away.

“The mandate runs out in October of 2026,” he told constituents at a recent PLP branch meeting in Fox Hill. “I do not expect that it could go to October 26, but I think it is probably not going to go right out to the end. I think we have at least a year before the election is called.”

Mr Mitchell, who also serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs, said preparations have already begun at the constituency level. That includes identifying volunteers to staff polling divisions.

He said those volunteers will be trained to run voting stations, monitor the electoral process, and ensure legal compliance.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson is awaiting the Constituencies Commission’s report on constituency boundaries for the next general election.

Mr Thompson said if boundary changes lead to the creation of new constituencies, voter transfers would follow. 

He added that his department is focused on verifying existing voter registrations, processing first-time applicants, and updating records for those who’ve moved since the last election.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Philip Davis suggested that constituencies such as Golden Isles and Killarney in New Providence may need redrawing to correct voter imbalances.