The Free Democratic Movement (FDM) is the newest of the three political parties in Bermuda. It was founded by former Progressive Labour Party leader Marc Bean in September 2020 to contest the 2020 Bermudian general election on October 1, 2020.[1] It fielded 14 candidates for the 36-seat legislature, winning no seats and placing second in 4 races, with 5% of the vote.[2]
Free Democratic Movement | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | FDM |
| Leader | Marc Bean |
| Founded | 1 September 2020 |
| Split from | Progressive Labour Party |
| Headquarters | Melbourne House, 11 Parliament Street Hamilton |
| Ideology | Conservative liberalism Classical liberalism Subsidiarity |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Colours | Green Gold Red |
| Senate | 0 / 11 |
| House of Assembly | 0 / 36 |
| Website | |
| fdmbermuda.com | |
Policies
editBean identifies as a classical liberal.[3]
The FDM's policies include:
- Individual rights
- Limited government
- Equality
- Subsidiarity
- Spontaneous order
- Property rights
- Honesty among citizens (aka 'The Golden Rule')
In the area of education, the FDM wants to downsize the Department of Education to improve efficiency, introduce a school voucher system as well as an independent system to monitor the performance of schools, and devolve control of what schools teach to educators.[4]
Among other issues, the FDM wants to abolish taxes on sugar and dividends, and has stated its neutrality to same-sex marriage.[5][6][7]
The party did not have any published activity after the 2020 election until 2024, when leader Marc Bean announced that the party intended to "re-emerge", although he did not commit to leading the party into the next elections.[8]
In October 2024, Bean stood for the FDM in the by-election for Sandys North, coming in second to Emily Gail Dill, who polled 162 votes, to 108 for Bean, 95 for independent candidate Ci’re Bean, and 91 for Carl Neblett of the One Bermuda Alliance.[9]
Party leaders
edit| Leader | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Bean | September 2020 | present |
Election results
edit| General election | # of candidates | # of elected candidates | total votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 14/36 | 0/36 | 1384 | 5.37 |
References
edit- ^ Lagan, Sarah (11 September 2020). "Bean on FDM: honesty sets us apart | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
- ^ "Official List: 2020 General Election Winners". 2 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Column: Classical Liberalism & Political Ideology". BerNews. 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Education reform" (PDF). fdmbermuda.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ Hall, Duncan (25 September 2020). "Election 2020: Bean backs tax cuts | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
- ^ McWhirter, Fiona (21 September 2020). "FDM proud of its big-tent philosophy | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
- ^ "Leaders' forum: Bean champions future generations". The Royal Gazette. 29 September 2020.
- ^ Bell, Jonathan (11 January 2024). "FDM | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
- ^ Bell, Jonathan; Finighan, Gareth (5 October 2024). "It is written: Reverend Emily Gail Dill wins Sandys North". The Royal Gazette.