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. Its leaders have included Grantley Adams and Owen Arthur.
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.
Dame Billie Antoinette Miller,DA,OOC is a Barbadian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister. Miller is a member of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP).
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.
General elections were held in Barbados on 15 January 2008. A concurrent referendum to determine whether or not to become a republic was initially planned but vote was postponed.
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.
Freundel Jerome Stuart,OR,PC,SC is a Barbadian politician who served as seventh Prime Minister of Barbados and the leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) from 23 October 2010 to 21 February 2013;and from 21 February 2013 to 25 May 2018. He succeeded David Thompson,who had died in office on 23 October 2010 from pancreatic cancer.
General elections were held in Barbados on 4 December 1961. They were the first held after Barbados was granted full self-government earlier in the year. 24 MPs were elected across twelve two-member constituencies,using the block vote method.
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.
A by-election was held in the Barbadian constituency of St George North on November 11,2020 following the resignation of incumbent BLP Member of Parliament Gline Clarke,who has represented the constituency for the past 26 years,to accept the post of Barbados High Commissioner to Canada. It was the first election to take place since Prime Minister Mia Mottley's governing Barbados Labour Party won all seats in the House of Assembly in the 2018 Barbadian general election.
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.
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.
Ralph Thorne is a Barbadian politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition since 2024. He was elected in 2018 as a candidate of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for Christ Church South on 24 May 2018. He later crossed the floor and became an independent in February 2024 which made him the leader of the opposition upon defection as the BLP had held all seats in the lower house up until that point. He was sworn in on 12 February 2024. On 19 February,Thorne was proclaimed as political leader of the Democratic Labour Party,while Ronnie Yearwood remains President of the party. Thorne's move has returned the DLP to the House of Assembly for the first time since 2018.
