COI Leader Says The Party Filed for Election Court in Two Constituencies

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS –

Lincoln Bain – Leader, Coalition of Independents

“We filed for election court last week. We haven’t heard back, but we did file last week, Monday.”

That was Coalition of Independents leader Lincoln Bain appearing as a guest on “On The Record” with host Jerome Sawyer.

After making history as a third party in the 2026 general election by securing more than 15,000 votes nationwide, the COI may not have won a seat in Parliament, but Bain says the party is not stepping away from the fight.

Instead, he says they are taking their concerns to the Election Court, filing challenges in both the Pinewood and Fort Charlotte constituencies.

Bain explains that his challenge in Pinewood stems from what he describes as multiple irregularities during the recount process, including how ballots were presented by election officials.

Lincoln Bain – Leader, Coalition of Independents

“There was a lot of irregularities. We even had situations where at the recount, they were showing both sides of the ballot, all right? So you have a PLP and FNM sitting in front of you, and you’re showing this is how this person voted, here is the person’s number.”

Bain claimed that the practice compromised the secrecy of the vote, alleging that members of the media were also allowed into the recount room and filmed ballots while ballot numbers were visible.

He further questioned the validity of some ballots, saying there were signatures that appeared inconsistent with those of election officials.

Lincoln Bain – Leader, Coalition of Independents

“We saw many signatures that were inconsistent, and we were wondering where these ballots came from. In one instance, everyone who was working for the government, the presiding officer, the assistant presiding officer said, that’s not one of our signatures.”

Meanwhile, in Fort Charlotte, Bain said the challenge centers on questions surrounding allegations that newly elected Member of Parliament Sebastian Bastian held government contracts.

He argued that full disclosure is critical to maintaining public confidence in the electoral process.

Lincoln Bain – Leader, Coalition of Independents

“To make sure that our election process is done properly, and so if a person has government contracts, we should know about those government contracts, and you should declare that properly.”

Bain acknowledged that pursuing the matter through the Election Court will come at a significant cost, but said it is a price the party is willing to pay in its push for what it calls greater accountability.

Now, Our News was able to confirm that documents have been submitted to the Election Court.

However, up to news time, an official case had not yet been filed.