Politics of Barbados
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The Politics of Barbados, takes place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, of a pluriform multi-party system. The Executive power is exercised by the government while the Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament. The political system is dominated by two main parties, the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party. The Judiciary of Barbados is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law. After years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados became an independent state maintaining full diplomatic ties to the Commonwealth of Nations on November 30, 1966. The overall constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.
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[edit] Executive branch
As the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is represented in Barbados by a local governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet.
| Main office holders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
| Queen | Elizabeth II | 6 February 1952 | |
| Governor-General | Sir Clifford Husbands | 1 June 1996 | |
| Prime Minister | Owen Arthur | BLP | 6 September 1994 |
Under the constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the British system. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is nominally recognized as Queen of Barbados, the head of state and is represented by a local Governor General. In Barbados the Queen is styled "By the Grace of God, Queen of Barbados and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth." The present government led by Owen Arthur is proposing that Barbados become a republic. The government led proposal, supports maintaining ties to the Commonwealth of Nations, however the proposal would replace the office of Govenor-general with a ceremonial president. The issue is still being hotly debated in Barbados as the country has been governmentally autonomous for decades. The local Governor-General of Barbados when in office represents the Monarch whenever necessary.
Visits made by current monarch to Barbados
- Pre-independence
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- 1 February, 1966
- 14 February - 15 February, 1966
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- Post-independence
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- 18 February - 20 February, 1975
- 31 October - 3 November, 1977
- 28 October - 29 October, 1985
- 8 March - 11 March, 1989
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Barbados has been an independent state in the Commonwealth since November 30, 1966, and as such functions as a parliamentary democracy modelled after the British Westminster system. Control of the government is held by the Cabinet and is responsible to the Parliament. Barbados is one of the most secure democracies in the Caribbean[citation needed], with the country never having a break in Parliamentary governance since its founding in the early 1600s. The Executive power is in the hands of the prime minister and his cabinet. The prime minister is usually the leader of the winning party in the elections for the House of Assembly, whose members are elected every five years.
[edit] The Parliament
The bicameral Parliament of Barbados consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate. The 30 members of the House are elected by universal suffrage to five-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.
[edit] Political parties and elections
- The following election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the List of political parties in Barbados. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Barbados.
| Parties | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbados Labour Party | 69,294 | 55.80 | 23 |
| Democratic Labour Party | 54,746 | 44.09 | 7 |
| Independents | 137 | 0.11 | - |
| Total valid votes | 124,177 | 100.00 | 30 |
| Invalid votes | 286 | ||
| Total votes cast (turnout: 56.7%) | 124,463 | ||
| Registered voters | 218,811 | ||
| Source: Voice of Barbados | |||
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, (of the then) available 28 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.
[edit] 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 appeal, each with 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, 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).
[edit] Administrative divisions
The island is divided into 11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown for administrative purposes. The parishes are: Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas.
These parishes are then further divided into one or more constituencies for candidates seeking election to the Barbados House of Assembly. As of 1967 there are no Local Government Councils any longer at the parish level in Barbados, as such schools, public works, and 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 cabinet ministers.
[edit] Political pressure groups
The main political pressure groups are:
- 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
[edit] International organization participation
Barbados is a full and participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME), the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) [which currently only pertains to Barbados and Guyana, and is expected to replace the UK Privy Council for the entire English speaking Caribbean eventually], and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Barbados is also a member of the International Criminal Court, without a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98)
Barbados is member of ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
[edit] External link and reference
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- The Barbados Constitution its Administration and separation of powers under the Constitution.
- Barbados Constitution profile - The Commonwealth of Nations
