Barbados: The Labor Party Wins all the Seats in the First Republican Parliament

On January 19, legislative elections were held in Barbados , the Caribbean island that last December officially became a republic , thus eliminating the last legacy of British colonization. Following this upheaval in the form of government, the country’s parliament was dissolved and early elections were called. The aim of the elections was to renew the 30 seats in the House of Assembly , the lower house of the bicamerine parliament in Bridgetown, while the members of the Senate are chosen directly by the president.

As expected, Prime Minister Mia Mottley ‘s Barbados Labor Party (BLP) won the election, even winning all the seats up for grabs. Thanks to the Anglo-Saxon first-past-the-post system , the candidates of the BLP reached first place in all electoral districts, as had already happened in the 2018 elections. In this way, Mia Mottley secured a new mandate to lead the government. Therefore, the other parties that took part in the electoral campaign remain outside the hemicycle: among these we mention the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), which ruled the country between 2008 and 2018, and Alliance Party for Progress(APP), a political force recently founded by opposition leader Joseph Atherley .

On January 20, after the results were released, Mottley was sworn in before President Sandra Mason . The Prime Minister confirmed that Santia Bradshaw will continue to hold the position of Head of Government Affairs at the House of Assembly , as Attorney General Dale Marshall will be confirmed . The full team of the new government is expected to be announced on Monday.

Furthermore, Barbados is confirmed as a country with a high female participation in political life. Women are in fact both the head of state and the prime minister, but also 26% of the members of the newly elected House of Assembly , a record in the history of the island.

The BLP leader said she will face this mandate with the same attitude she had over the previous four years: ” We will strive to continue the transformation process to address the challenges that await our country in the next 10-15 years ,” she said. Mottley after the swearing-in ceremony. In addition, he reiterated his commitment to the nation to work to achieve development goals and eradicate poverty from the Caribbean island. The economy of Barbados is in fact mainly based on tourism, but the Covid-19 pandemicled to a major crisis. Despite these difficulties, the Labor government was able to respond adequately, and above all it was rewarded by the electorate for having achieved the historic transition from monarchy to republic.

Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel was among the first to congratulate the Labor leader after her victory: “We reaffirm our will to continue strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation between the two countries ,” he said in his speech. message. Similarly, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla sent his congratulations to Prime Minister Mottley: ” We ratify the will to continue to strengthen the traditional relations of friendship, cooperation and solidarity that unite the two nations ,” he said.

“ Our peoples are united by strong bonds of brotherhood, friendship and mutual cooperation. Let’s send a fraternal hug from Venezuela “, said instead the president of the South American country, Nicolás Maduro .

” The overwhelming success of the Labor Party of Barbados indicates that the people of the country have full confidence in its administration and look to its continued leadership to guide them along a path that will ensure their progress ,” commented the Caribbean Community in an official statement (Caricom ).

Featured image: Mia Mottley, Barbados, Jan. 19, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @caribbeanblock

(Workers Today)