|
Party
|
Pre
|
Post
|
|
|
26
|
23
|
|
|
2
|
7
|
|
|
0
|
-
|
|
|
Barbados
Labour Party
|
|
|
Democratic
Labour Party
|
|
|
Independent
|
|
|
Winner
Declared |
|
|
Home
» Resources
» Barbados Government Facts
|
|
BARBADOS
GOVERNMENT FACTS
|
|
Country
Name:
|
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados |
|
Government
Type:
|
parliamentary
democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth |
|
Capital:
|
Bridgetown |
|
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:
|
Barbados
is a parliamentary democracy modelled after the British
system with Queen Elizabeth II represented as head of
state by a Governor General. 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:
|
Bicameral
Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the
Senate. The first Parliament was established in 1639
and since then Barbados has enjoyed a tradition of representative
government. The 30 members of the House of Assembly
are elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term,
although the Government may call an election earlier.
The Senate’s 21 members are appointed by the Governor
General, 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 with
the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and 7 at
the Governor General’s discretion. Executive power
rests with the cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister
and responsible to parliament.
|
|
Judicial
Branch:
|
Supreme
Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service
Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services). The
judiciary is independent with the highest appellate court
being the Court of Appeal in Barbados. Under certain circumstances,
final appeals go to the judicial committee of the Privy
Council of the United Kingdom. Barbados has now made the
Caribbean Court of Justice its highest appellate court
to move away from the jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
|
|
Political
Overview:
|
The
Barbados Labour Party (BLP) began its second term of office
in 1999 with a majority of 26 out of 28 seats in the House
of Assembly, a vast increase over its 1994 victory. The
result was attributed mainly to Prime Minister Owen Arthur
and his government’s record of fostering solid economic
growth.
Since
independence in 1966 Government has alternated between
the BLP and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) which
broke away from the BLP in the 1950s. There is a third
party, the National Democratic Party (NDP) which broke
away from the DLP in the 1980s but it has failed so
far to make any impact in the elections.
Trade
unions enjoy an unusually integrated position in Barbados’
political environment. The Government has fostered a
successful tripartite social partnership between Government,
employers (represented by the Private Sector Organization)
and trade unions, which has facilitated progress by
consensus in a number of areas, including the economy.
|
|
International
Organisation Participation:
|
ACP,
C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
|
|
