View source for Politics of Barbados

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Politics of Barbados sidebar}}
The '''politics of [[Barbados]]''' function within a framework of a [[parliamentary republic]] with strong [[Democracy|democratic]] traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of [[Barbados]] include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.

[[Executive (government)|Executive power]] is vested in the [[President of Barbados]], and is exercised by the President on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of the prime minister and Cabinet, who together, form the [[government]]. [[Legislature|Legislative power]] is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the [[Parliament of Barbados|Parliament]]. The political system is dominated by two main parties, the [[Barbados Labour Party]] and the [[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]].  The [[judiciary]] of Barbados is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.

Many of the country's legislative practices derive from the unwritten [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|conventions]] of, and precedents set by, the [[United Kingdom]]'s [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster Parliament]]; however, Barbados has evolved variations.

==Summary of governmental organization==
; Name: [[Barbados]]

; Type of government : [[Parliamentary democracy]] with a [[Republic|constitutional republic]].<!---[[Parliamentary republic]].--->

; Capital : [[Bridgetown]].

; Administrative divisions : 11 parishes: [[Christ Church, Barbados|Christ Church]], [[Saint Andrew, Barbados|Saint Andrew]], [[Saint George, Barbados|Saint George]], [[Saint James, Barbados|Saint James]], [[Saint John, Barbados|Saint John]], [[Saint Joseph, Barbados|Saint Joseph]], [[Saint Lucy, Barbados|Saint Lucy]], [[Saint Michael, Barbados|Saint Michael]], [[Saint Peter, Barbados|Saint Peter]], [[Saint Philip, Barbados|Saint Philip]], [[Saint Thomas, Barbados|Saint Thomas]]; and the city of [[Bridgetown]]

; Constitution : [[Westminster system]], based on unwritten [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|conventions]] and written [[Constitution of Barbados|legislation]].

; Legal system : [[English law|English]] [[common law]]; accepts compulsory [[International Court of Justice]] jurisdiction, with reservations.

; Suffrage : Citizens aged 18 years or older.

; Participation in [[international organization]]s : [[Caribbean Community|CARICOM]], [[Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy|CSME]], [[Caribbean Court of Justice|CCJ]], [[Association of Caribbean States|ACS]], [[International Criminal Court|ICCt]], [[ACP countries|ACP]], [[Commonwealth of Nations]], [[Caribbean Development Bank|CDB]], [[United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean|ECLAC]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[Inter-American Defense Board|IADB]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions|ICFTU]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|IFRCS]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization]], [[Intelsat]], [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[ITU]], [[Latin American Economic System|LAES]], [[Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency|MIGA]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]], [[OPANAL]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]].

; Description of [[national flag]] : Three vertical panels – the outer panels of ultramarine and the centre panel of gold. A broken trident in black is the centre of the flag.
{{See|Flag of Barbados}}

===Executive power===
; [[Head of state]]: [[Sandra Mason]], [[President of Barbados]] (since 30 November 2021).

; [[Head of government]]: [[List of Prime Ministers of Barbados|Prime Minister]] [[Mia Mottley]] (since 25 May 2018).

; [[Cabinet of Barbados|Cabinet]] : [[The Ministry|Ministers]] chosen by the prime minister and appointed by the president's assent. Cabinet leads various ministries and agencies. Constitutionally, there must be at least five ministers, who may be appointed exclusively from within Parliament.

; Elections : The president is indirectly elected by Parliament, by a two-thirds supermajority in each house, for a four-year term. In following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Assembly is usually designated by the president to become prime minister.

==Government of Barbados==
{{main|Government of Barbados}}

===Head of state===
{{main|President of Barbados}}
The [[president of Barbados]] is the [[head of state]] and serves as the repository of [[executive power]], as expressed in the Constitution: "The executive authority of Barbados is vested in the President." In practice, the president rarely exercises this power on her own volition due to the fact that the Constitution obliges the president to follow the advice of her ministers. As a consequence, the president is not held personally responsible for the decisions of the government.

===Head of government===
The [[List of Prime Ministers of Barbados|prime minister]] is the [[head of government]]. The prime minister is appointed by the [[president of Barbados]], but to ensure the continuity of a stable government this person will always be the one who has the confidence of the [[Barbados House of Assembly|House of Assembly]] to lead the government. In practice, the position usually goes to the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the [[lower house]]. In no Barbadian election has a single party obtained less than an absolute majority in the House of Assembly (a situation which would have entailed the formation of a [[minority government|minority]] or [[coalition government]]).

The prime minister holds office until he resigns is effectively subject to a winning [[Motion of no confidence|vote of no confidence]]<ref>[http://www.caribbean360.com/News/Caribbean/Stories/2007/12/21/NEWS0000005262.html ''Caribbean 360'' 21 December 2007.]</ref> or is removed by the president; therefore, the party that was in government before the election may attempt to continue to govern if they so desire, even if they hold fewer seats than another party. [[Coalition government]]s have never occurred.

[[Political party|Political parties]] are private organisations that are not mentioned in the constitution. The prime minister and the Cabinet are constitutionally required to be [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] so they can answer to Parliament for their actions. The prime minister selects ministers to head the various government departments and form a cabinet. The [[Cabinet of Barbados|members of the Cabinet]] remain in office at the pleasure of the President.

If the Assembly passes a [[motion of no confidence]] in the government, the prime minister and the rest of Cabinet are expected either to resign their offices or to ask for [[Dissolution of parliament|Parliament to be dissolved]] so that a [[general election]] can be held. To avoid a non-confidence motion from passing, parties enforce strong [[party discipline]], in which members of a party – especially from the [[ruling party]] – are strongly urged to vote the "[[party line (politics)|party line]]" or face consequences. While a member of a governing party is free to vote their conscience, they are constrained by the fact that voting against the party line (especially in confidence votes) might lead to expulsion from their party. Such an expulsion would lead to loss of election funding and the former party backing an alternate candidate. While the government likes to keep control in these circumstances, in unwritten practice, the only time the government can fall is if a [[money bill]] (financial or budget) is defeated. However, if a government finds that it can not pass any legislation it is common (but not required) that a vote of confidence should be held. The exception is if the prime minister or the government declared that they consider a given bill to be a matter of confidence (hence how [[backbencher]]s are often held to strict party voting). Members can be elected as [[Independent (politician)|independents]].  Most independent members are elected under a party, but either chose to leave the party or are expelled from it.

When there are enough seats for another party to form a government after the resignation of a government, the president may ask the other party to try to form the government.

{{Further|List of Calypso Monarchs of Barbados}}

===Legislative power===
[[Parliament of Barbados|Barbados' Parliament]] consists of the [[President of Barbados|President]] and a [[bicameral]] [[legislature]]: an elected [[Barbados House of Assembly|House of Assembly]] and an appointed [[Senate of Barbados|Senate]]. In practice, legislative power rests with the party that has the majority of seats in the House of Assembly, which is elected for a period not to exceed five years. The senate remains a body which is mainly filled by the decision of the official party in the role of being the [[ruling party]], and the member(s) officially in the role of being an official opposition also submit a cadre for membership to the Senate as well.

===Political parties and elections===
{{elect|List of political parties in Barbados|Elections in Barbados}}
'''Summary of the 2022 Barbadian General Election'''
{{Election results
|image=[[File:Asemblee barbade 2018.svg]]
|party1=[[Barbados Labour Party]]|votes1=78960|sw1=–4.21|seats1=30|sc1=0
|party2=[[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]]|votes2=30112|sw2=+3.77|seats2=0|sc2=0
|party3=[[Alliance Party for Progress]]|votes3=3090|sw3=New|seats3=0|sc3=0
|party4=[[Solutions Barbados]]|votes4=784|sw4=–1.76|seats4=0|sc4=0
|party5=[[Bajan Free Party]]|votes5=191|sw5=+0.10|seats5=0|sc5=0
|party6=New Barbados Kingdom Alliance|votes6=122|sw6=New|seats6=0|sc6=New|color6=#9A4EAE
|party7=Barbados Sovereignty Party|votes7=120|sw7=New|seats7=0|sc7=New|color7=white
|party8=Independents|votes8=634|sw8=–0.10|seats8=0|sc8=0
|total_sc=0
|invalid=434
|electorate=266339
|source=Barbados Parliament<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-29 |title=Report on the Barbados General Election 2022 |url=https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/sittings/attachments/0e1fd7232f0c1e5ab13df94b06e5cfd5.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250629192826/https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/sittings/attachments/0e1fd7232f0c1e5ab13df94b06e5cfd5.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-29 |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=The Barbados Parliament}}</ref>
}}
The parishes of Barbados are usually further divided into one or more constituencies for candidates seeking election to the House of Assembly. As of 1967, there are no longer any Local Government Councils at the parish level, as issues such as schools, public works, government health facilities and other institutions are administered at the national level. However, local representatives to the House of Assembly will usually be responsible for local causes and may take up issues with the respective Ministers of the Crown.

There are two major and long-standing parties in [[Barbados]]: the [[Barbados Labour Party]] (BLP) and the [[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]] (DLP). The 1990s have seen the dissolution of a third party: the [[National Democratic Party (Barbados)|National Democratic Party]] (NDP), and in recent times the creation of other parties such as the [[People's Empowerment Party (Barbados)|People's Empowerment Party]] (PEP), [[United Progressive Party (Barbados)|United Progressive Party]] and the [[People's Party for Democracy and Development]].

Despite initial historical disparity (the BLP was once conservative and the DLP liberal), their modern incarnations are all moderate and largely have no major ideological differences. Electoral contests and political disputes often have personal overtones and voter sway tends to be based on tradition. The major political problems facing Barbados today are in promoting economic growth: creating jobs, encouraging [[agricultural diversification]], attracting small industry, and promoting tourism.

The BLP decisively returned to power, after the DLP ruled from 2008 to 2018, after winning [[2018 Barbadian general election]] in May, 2018. The BLP won all 30 seats in the Parliament, leaving the DLP for the first time since its creation as an [[Extra-parliamentary opposition|Extra-Parliamentary]] party, and [[Mia Mottley]] becoming the first female [[Prime Minister|prime minister]] of Barbados. This historic landslide victory occurred again for the [[2022 Barbadian general election]] with the BLP retaining power under the Mottley Administration, which was the first election following Barbados' transition to a [[Republicanism in Barbados|republic]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jamaica Observer Limited|url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Mottley_wins_seconds_term_as_ruling_party_sweeps_Barbados_general_election|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Jamaica Observer}}</ref>

===Party eras===
*Democratic Labour Party (1966–1976)
*Barbados Labour Party (1976–1986)
*Democratic Labour Party (1986–1994)
*Barbados Labour Party (1994–2008)
*Democratic Labour Party (2008–2018)
*Barbados Labour Party (2018–present)

====Political pressure groups====
The main political pressure groups are:
* Barbados Workers Union; led by [[Leroy Trotman]]
* Clement Payne Labor Union; led by [[David Commissiong]]
* People's Progressive Movement; led by [[Eric Sealy]]
* Unity Workers Union; led by [[Caswell Franklin]]

==Judiciary==
{{main|Judiciary of Barbados}}
Barbados has an independent judiciary composed of Magistrates' Courts, which are statutorily authorized, and a Supreme Court, which is constitutionally mandated. The Supreme Court consists of the High Court and the Court of Appeal,<ref name="Barbados criminal courts">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223121/http://www.acclawyers.org/resources/barbados/ Barbados' criminal court system]}}</ref> each having four judges. The Chief Justice serves on both the high court and the court of appeal. The court of last resort is the [[Caribbean Court of Justice]] (CCJ) in [[Port of Spain]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]] (which replaced the British-based [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]]). The CCJ's decisions are binding on all parties. Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition.
Supreme Court of Judicature judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Service.

==See also==
*[[Democracy in the Americas]]
*[[Future Centre Trust]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}<!--added above categories/infobox footers by script-assisted edit-->

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=https://www.newworldjournal.org/volumes/barbados-independence-issue/the-struggle-for-freedom/ |url-access= |title=The Struggle For Freedom |last=Lewis |first=Gordon |year=2022 |orig-date= |editor-last= |editor-first= |department=Barbados |website=www.newworldjournal.org |agency=[[New World Journal]] |pages=15 |arxiv= |asin= |bibcode= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |access-date=17 February 2022 |quote= }}

==External links==
* [http://www.gov.bb/ Government of Barbados website]
* [http://www.caribbeanedu.com/elections/bb02.asp Barbados' General Election 2003]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110723035356/http://www.caricad.net/UserFiles/File/casestudybarbados.pdf Case Study: "The Barbados Experience"] – political history, by the Department of Public Sector Reform
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060707214412/http://www.barbados.gov.bb/bdsconst.htm The Constitution of Barbados]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20060630074415/http://www.barbados.gov.bb/constadmin.htm The Barbados Constitution its Administration] and separation of powers under the Constitution.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20070313175012/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/138236/constitution/ Barbados Constitution] profile – The Commonwealth of Nations
* [http://www.totallybarbados.com/barbados/Business/Government_and_Legal_System/ Barbados Government and Legal System]
* [http://www.funbarbados.com/ourisland/history/political_history.cfm Political history of Barbados], Fun Barbados
* [http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Barbados.htm Women in politics of Barbados], Guide to Women Leaders

{{Barbadian political parties}}
{{Americas topic|Politics of}}
{{Barbados topics}}

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[[Category:Politics of Barbados| ]]
[[Category:Government of Barbados]]
[[Category:Westminster system]]