The politics of Barbados function within a framework of a parliamentary republic with strong democratic traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.
Owen Seymour Arthur, PC was a Barbadian politician who served as the fifth prime minister of Barbados from 6 September 1994 to 15 January 2008. He is the longest-serving Barbadian prime minister to date. He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1 August 1993 to 6 September 1994 and from 23 October 2010 to 21 February 2013.
The Barbados Labour Party (BLP), colloquially known as the "Bees", is a social democratic political party in Barbados established in 1938. Led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, it is the governing party of Barbados and the sole ruling party in the House of Assembly of Barbados, holding 30 out of 30 seats. The BLP was elected to government on 25 May 2018 after a decade in opposition, with Mottley becoming the country's first female prime minister. The party originally won all of the seats in the House of Assembly, but Bishop Joseph Atherley, the MP for St. Michael West, became an independent MP and the leader of the opposition on 2 June 2018. The party won all 30 seats in the 2022 general election.
The House of Assembly of Barbados is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. It has 30 Members of Parliament (MPs), who are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority system for a term of five years. The House of Assembly sits roughly 40–45 days a year and is presided over by a Speaker.
On 30 November 2021, Barbados transitioned from a parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the hereditary monarch of Barbados to a parliamentary republic with a ceremonial indirectly elected president as head of state. The prime minister remained head of government while the last Governor-General, Dame Sandra Mason, was elected as the country's first President on 20 October 2021, and took office on 30 November 2021.
Mia Amor Mottley, is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the eighth person to hold the office of Prime Minister in Barbados and the first woman to hold either position. She is also Barbados' first prime minister under its republican system, following constitutional changes she introduced which abolished the country's constitutional monarchy.
General elections were held in Barbados on 24 May 2018. The result was a landslide victory for the opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), which won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, resulting in BLP leader Mia Mottley becoming the country's first female Prime Minister. The BLP's victory was the first time a party had won every seat in the House of Assembly. Previously, the most one-sided result for a Barbadian election had been in 1999, when the BLP won 26 of the 28 seats. The BLP's 73.5 percent vote share was also the highest on record.
The United Progressive Party is a political party in Barbados. The party was announced in February, 2017 to coincide with the May 2018 general election cycle. The lead Chairperson is the Attorney-at-Law and former Senator and Minister with the Barbados Labour Party, Ms. Lynette Eastmond.
Joseph Junior Sylvester Atherley is a Barbadian religious minister and politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly of Barbados from 2018 to 2022, and as leader of the People's Party for Democracy and Development since 8 June 2019.
The People's Party for Democracy and Development (PdP), abbreviated as the People's Party, is a political party in Barbados established on 8 June 2019 and led by Joseph Atherley. At its foundation, it served as the main opposition party in both houses of the Barbadian Parliament, with one seat in the House of Assembly and two seats in the Senate from 8 June 2019 till 19 January 2022.
Toni Moore is a trade unionist and politician from Barbados. Moore has served as general secretary of the Barbados Workers' Union since 2014. She was appointed an independent senator in 2018 and resigned from the post in October 2020 to contest the 2020 St George North by-election for the Barbados Labour Party. Moore won the 11 November 2020 byelection with 66.7 percent of the vote, on a 49.8 percent turnout of the constituency's 9,897 registered voters.
Solutions Barbados (SB) is a minor political party in Barbados. It was first founded by structural engineer Grenville Phillips II on 1 July 2015, and contested the May 2018 Barbadian general election.
General elections were held in Barbados on 19 January 2022 to elect the 30 members of the House of Assembly. The ruling Barbados Labour Party won all 30 seats for the second consecutive election.
Verla A. De Peiza is a Barbadian politician and lawyer. She was the leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) from 12 August 2018 to 21 January 2022, and was the first woman to hold this position. She also previously served as a Senator for the DLP from 2010 to 2018.
Santia Josette Omara Bradshaw is a Barbadian politician. She is a cabinet minister in the cabinet of Mia Mottley. Bradshaw is the deputy prime minister of Barbados.
The Alliance Party for Progress (APP) is a Christian and social democratic electoral alliance in Barbados. It was formed on the 30 December 2021 by the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the People's Party for Democracy and Development (PdP) to contest the 2022 Barbadian general election. It is headed by the leader of the PdP Bishop Joseph Atherley with the leader of the UPP Lynette Eastmond becoming deputy head.
Jeffrey Davidson Bostic popularly known as "The Colonel" is a Barbadian politician and soldier. He was a cabinet minister in the cabinet of Mia Mottley. Bostic was the Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados and a Member of the House of Assembly of Barbados.
Kirk Duncan Matthew Humphrey is a Barbadian politician and government minister of Barbados. He is the Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs as appointed by President Dame Sandra Mason.
Kerrie Symmonds is a Barbadian lawyer, politician and the cabinet minister in the government of Mia Mottley. He is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and was previously Minister of Energy and Business Development.
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