Shanta Knowles Solidifies Her Place in History

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NASSAU , THE BAHAMAS – Commissioner Shanta Knowles performed a duty that marked a decisive moment in Bahamian democracy on Wednesday, publicly reading the dissolution of Parliament in her capacity as Provost Marshal.

As Provost Marshal, Commissioner Shanta Knowles acted at the intersection of law, ceremony, and state security.

On Wednesday, she became the first woman to ever dissolve Parliament in that capacity.

Her reading formally ended one parliamentary chapter and commanded the machinery that launched a new election—notifying returning officers and setting the legal clock for nominations and polling.

Beyond paperwork, the ceremony conveyed continuity and impartiality: a visible, apolitical affirmation that the rule of law governed transfers of power.

In The Bahamas’ ceremonial tradition, these public proclamations reassured Bahamians and institutions alike that elections would proceed under lawful authority and that the state’s security apparatus would protect the process.

For voters, it was the moment democracy moved from calendar to action.

Knowles, as the first woman to ever carry out this role in the history of Bahamian elections, again solidified her place in this sacred democratic process.

Commissioner Shanta Knowles was sworn into office on January 3, 2025.

She carried out a ceremonial but constitutionally important duty on the steps of Parliament, acting in her capacity as Provost Marshal, as she read the Governor General’s proclamation—carrying out similar duties when she prorogued Parliament on March 27.

Under the Bahamas Constitution, the Governor General dissolved Parliament and issued writs for election on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Historically, the Commissioner of Police—as ex officio Provost Marshal—was the officer who publicly read those proclamations and, when the time came, the writ of election itself.

That reading mattered because it was the moment democratic time was set in motion: triggering nomination calendars, closing the voter register, and signaling the security and administrative machinery to protect the vote.

For voters and institutions alike, the Provost Marshal’s presence was meant to reassure that the transfer from Parliament to poll was carried out under lawful, visible authority.