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] Barbados Government - By separation of powers
As outlined under the Constitution of Barbados[1]
- The Governor General
- Parliament
- Executive Powers
- The Judiciary
- Public Service
[edit] Executive branch
Under the constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the British system. The country's ceremonial head of state is its non-resident monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, who is also Queen of the United Kingdom but uses the title "Queen of Barbados" when she occasionally visits the country. She is represented in Barbados by a local Governor-General who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet.
| 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 |
Since 1966, the position of the monarchy in the Barbadian political hierarchy has been strictly ceremonial. Therefore, 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 Governor-General with a ceremonial president. The issue is still being hotly debated in Barbados as the country has been governmentally autonomous for decades. While some see it as an inevitable and desirable step towards national development, others believe that it is highly unnecessary and yet another attempt by the current administration to diminish the achievements of others.
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
- For other political parties see 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 | |||
There are two major and long-standing parties in Barbados--the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). Recent times have seen the dissolution of a third party--the National Democratic Party (NDP)-- and the creation of another, the People's National Party (PNP). Despite initial historical disparity (the BLP was once conservative and the DLP liberal), their modern incarnations are all moderate and have no major ideological differences. Electoral contests and political disputes often have personal overtones and voter sway tends to be based on tradition. 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 also serves as Minister of Finance and the main opposition party, the DLP, is led by David Thompson.
[edit] Judiciary
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
