Barbados is an island country in the southeastern Caribbean Sea,situated about 100 miles (160 km) east of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Roughly triangular in shape,the island measures some 21 miles (34 km) from northwest to southeast and about 14 miles (23 km) from east to west at its widest point. The capital and largest town is Bridgetown,which is also the main seaport.
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 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. It has been in power in 1954–1961,1976–1986,1994–2008,and 2018–present. The BLP has been the governing party of Barbados since 2018.
The Democratic Labour Party (DLP),colloquially known as the "Dems",is a political party in Barbados,established in 1955. It was the ruling party from 15 January 2008 to 24 May 2018 but faced an electoral wipeout in the 2018 general election which left it with no MPs.
Jon Michael Geoffrey Manningham Adams,known as Tom Adams,was a Barbadian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Barbados from 1976 until 1985.
Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford,KA,PC was a Barbadian politician. He served as the fourth prime minister of Barbados from 1987 to 1994,and later served as Barbados' first resident ambassador in Beijing,China,from 2010 to 2013.
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.
David John Howard Thompson was the sixth prime minister of Barbados from 15 January 2008 until his death from pancreatic cancer on 23 October 2010.
Mia Amor Mottley,is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to hold either position. She is also Barbados' first prime minister under its republican system,following constitutional changes she introduced that abolished the country's constitutional monarchy.
Marie-Josephine Mara Thompson is a Saint Lucian-born Barbadian politician,educator and widow of the sixth Prime Minister of Barbados,David Thompson,who died in office on 23 October 2010. After being chosen as the most favored candidate. Thompson won the special by-election to succeed her husband in the Saint John constituency on Thursday,20 January 2011,holding the seat for the Democratic Labour Party.
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 president of Barbados is the head of state of Barbados and the commander-in-chief of the Barbados Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a parliamentary republic on 30 November 2021. Prior to that date,the head of state was Elizabeth II,Queen of Barbados,who was represented on the island by a governor-general. The final person to hold that position,Sandra Mason,is currently serving as Barbados' first president.
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.
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, MP is a Barbadian politician and Attorney-at-law who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados since 2022.
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.
