Free Democratic Movement

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] The party has had no publicised activity since the 2020 election.

Free Democratic Movement
AbbreviationFDM
LeaderMarc Bean
Founded1 September 2020 (2020-09-01)
Split fromProgressive Labour Party
HeadquartersMelbourne House, 11 Parliament Street
Hamilton
IdeologyConservative liberalism
Classical liberalism
Subsidiarity
Political positionCentre-right
Colours  Green
  Gold
  Red
Senate
0 / 11
House of Assembly
0 / 36
Website
fdmbermuda.com

Policies

Bean 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]

Since the 2020 election, the party has not updated its website or had any public discussions about its future.

Party leaders
Leader Entered office Left office
Marc BeanSeptember 2020present

Election results
General election # of candidates # of elected candidates total votes  % of popular vote
2020 14/36 0/36 1384 5.37

References
  1. Lagan, Sarah (11 September 2020). "Bean on FDM: honesty sets us apart | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
  2. "Official List: 2020 General Election Winners". 2 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  3. "Column: Classical Liberalism & Political Ideology". BerNews. 30 August 2016.
  4. "Education reform" (PDF). fdmbermuda.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  5. Hall, Duncan (25 September 2020). "Election 2020: Bean backs tax cuts | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
  6. McWhirter, Fiona (21 September 2020). "FDM proud of its big-tent philosophy | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News". The Royal Gazette.
  7. "Leaders' forum: Bean champions future generations". The Royal Gazette. 29 September 2020.
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