GOVERNMENT
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 bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and Senate. The 30 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 to represent segments of the community.
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 Caribbean Court of Justice.
The island is divided into 11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown for administrative purposes. There is no local government.
The two main political parties--the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the Democratic Labour Party (DLP)--are both 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 foreign investment, and promoting tourism.
In January 15, 2008 parliamentary elections, voters gave a majority to the DLP, led by David Thompson. This election ended 14 years of rule by the BLP. New Prime Minister Thompson has pledged to focus on domestic issues, particularly the cost of living, healthcare, and crime.
Principal
Government Officials
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Sir Clifford Straughn Husbands
Prime Minister--David John Howard Thompson
Ambassador to the United States and the OAS--John Beale
Ambassador to the UN--Dr. Christopher Hackett
Barbados
maintains an embassy
in the United States located at 2144 Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (tel. 202-939-9200), a consulate general in New York
City at 800 2nd Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 212-867-8435),
and a consulate general in Miami at 150 Alhambra Circle, Suite
1270, Coral Gables, FL33134 (tel. 305-442-1994).
Type: Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth.
Independence: November 30, 1966.
Constitution: 1966.
Branches: Executive--governor general (representing Queen Elizabeth II, head of state), prime minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--bicameral Parliament. Judicial--magistrate's courts, Supreme Court (High Court and Court of Appeals), Caribbean Court of Justice in Trinidad and Tobago.
Subdivisions: Eleven parishes and the city of Bridgetown.
Political parties: Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Democratic Labour Party (DLP), People's Empowerment Party (PEP).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
