DOES THE HAITIAN CONSTITUTION TRUMPS OUR BAHAMIAN CONSTITUTION?
From Speak Up Bahamas:
I’m trying to understand something… and maybe someone can explain it logically. Why are some Bahamians now arguing that the Haitian Constitution is more powerful than the Bahamian Constitution?
The Haitian Constitution says that once you are born to a Haitian parent — whether mother or father — you are Haitian, and that citizenship cannot be renounced.
But let’s be very clear… We are in The Bahamas, governed by OUR Constitution. The Bahamian Constitution clearly states that if a Bahamian married to a Haitian woman, and they have a child, that child is Bahamian — with the full rights of a Bahamian, including the right to vote, and it doesnt mattter how fluent they are in the English language.
So the real question is: Which Constitution governs The Bahamas? Are we seriously saying that a foreign constitution can override our own laws, our own sovereignty, and our own identity as a nation?
That would mean we are no longer in control of our country — and that simply cannot be the case.
You cannot pick and choose when to respect the Bahamian Constitution and when to ignore it.
This is not about emotion, politics, or division — this is about law, sovereignty, and national identity.
Bahamians must decide:
👉 Do we stand on OUR Constitution?
👉 Or are we now allowing foreign laws to dictate who is Bahamian and who can vote? Make it make sense.
Speak Up Bahamas. 🇧🇸
Bahamian Constitutional Attorney - Craig Butler, Esq., Answers:
I’m answering the question and authoritatively so:
👉🏽 I’m the constitutional expert.
👉🏽 if you think you’re smart take me on Peter.
The Bahamian Constitution governs The Bahamas. Full stop.
No foreign constitution overrides it, dictates it, or displaces it.
But that is not the real issue here.
The confusion is coming from a failure to understand how citizenship actually operates in law.
There are multiple pathways:
• Citizenship by descent (through a Bahamian parent)
• Citizenship by birth with entitlement to apply (e.g., persons born in The Bahamas to non-Bahamian parents applying at 18–19)
• Registration and naturalisation
So when people raise the Haitian Constitution, they are not saying it overrides Bahamian law. They are pointing to the fact that another country may also recognize that person as its citizen.
That creates dual nationality issues, not constitutional supremacy issues.
And here is the key point many are missing:
A child born in The Bahamas to Haitian parents does not automatically become Bahamian. They have a constitutional right to apply for citizenship between ages 18 and 19.
Many have exercised that right. Lawfully.
Once granted, they are Bahamian citizens—under our Constitution.
So let’s not distort this.
This is not about Haiti overriding The Bahamas. This is about people misunderstanding:
• how citizenship is acquired,
• how dual nationality arises, and
• how our own Constitution actually works.
If there are concerns about abuse of the system, then address enforcement and administration.
But do not invent a constitutional conflict that does not exist.
