Politics of Barbados

After years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on November 30, 1966.

Under its constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the British system. The Governor-General represents the Monarch. Control of the government rests with the cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister and responsible to the Parliament.

The island is divided into 11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown for administrative purposes. There is no local government. Barbados' defense expenditures account for about 2.5% of the government budget.

Contents

1 Government 2 Administrative divisions 3 Executive branch 4 Legislative branch 5 Judicial branch 6 Political parties 7 Political pressure groups and leaders 8 International organization participation 9 See also 10 External link and reference

Government

The three political parties of Barbados--the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), and the National Democratic Party (NDP)--are all moderate and have no major ideological differences; electoral contests and political disputes often have personal overtones. The major political problems facing Barbados today are in promoting economic growth: creating jobs, encouraging agricultural diversification, attracting small industry, and promoting tourism.

The ruling BLP was decisively returned to power in January 1999 elections, winning 26 seats in the Parliament with the DLP only winning two seats. The Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, who also serves as Minister of Finance, has given a high priority to economic development. The main opposition party, the DLP, is led by David Thompson.

Principal Government Officials

Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Sir Clifford Straughn Husbands
Prime Minister-Owen Arthur
Ambassador to the U.S. and the OAS-Michael King
Ambassador to the UN--June Clarke

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados

Government type:
parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Administrative divisions

11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
note: the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status

Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution: 30 November 1966

Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)

head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch

The bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and Senate. The 28 members of the House are elected by universal suffrage to 5-year terms. Elections may be called at any time the government wishes to seek a new mandate or if the government suffers a vote of no-confidence in Parliament. The Senate's 21 members are appointed by the governor general--12 with the advice of the prime minister, two with the advice of the leader of the opposition, and seven at the governor general's discretion.

Bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 20 January 1999 (next to be held by January 2004)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2

Judicial branch

Barbados has an independent judiciary composed of magistrate 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 appeals, each with four judges. The Chief Justice serves on both the high court and the court of appeals. The court of last resort is the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty's Privy Council in London, whose decisions are binding on all parties. Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the governor general 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)

Political parties

See List of political parties in Barbados

Political pressure groups and leaders

• Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]
• Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]
• People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]
• Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES , NAM, OAS, OPANAL , UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

See also

• List of Governors-General of Barbados
• List of Prime Ministers of Barbados

External link and reference

• Government of Barbados website
• Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.