Democratic Labour Party

Leader: Clyde Mascoll
Founded: 1955
House of Assembly seats, 1999: 2
Share of vote in 1999: 35.1%

BRIEF HISTORY

On the night of 27th April, 1955, twenty-six persons met at "Glenhurst", Lands End, St. Michael, Barbados. They represented varied backgrounds and outlooks. Some had already had considerable experience in Politics, because four of them were then members of the House of Assembly, and two of them had sat in that Chamber some years before. By the time the meeting ended, twenty-five people had started something that would change the course of Barbadian history.

Thus was the Democratic Labour Party born. At the "Glenhurst" meeting, the Constitution of the Party, which was to come into force on 1st May, 1955, was adopted by the following foundation members who formed the first Provisional General Council of the Party:

The period between the formation of the D.L.P. in 1955 and the formation of the first D.L.P. Government in 1961 was a simple story of initial defeat and discouragement turned into victory through perseverance and hard work. In the 1956 General Election only four of the D.L.P's sixteen candidates were successful. In the time following Mr. (later Sir) Theodore Brancker served as the Leader of the Opposition and Mr. C. F. Broome was the Party Chairman.

Subsequent to the death of Mr. Charlie Broome in 1959, Mr. Errol Barrow was elected Chairman and in this capacity led the Party into the momentous General Election of 1961. On December 5th 1961 the Democratic Labour Party won 14 of the 24 seats in the Barbados House of Assembly.

source: www.dlpbarbados.org