The Barbados Government
"We pride ourselves on democracy!"

The obvious questions visitors to the island ask about the Barbados government are..

"What is the type of government in Barbados?....

"Is it a democractic government?.... communist?

"Or is it even possibly totalitarian?"

These questions usually stems from worry.... worry of whether or not you are about to vacation on an island with an unstable government, perhaps even a country of turmoil!

Well guess what, Barbados is a very stable country with a stable democratic government!

We believe in a country of free speech without restriction on the way of life.

How is the government of Barbados structured?

The Barbados government is structure like many other Commonwealth countries. This is because Barbados is a former British Colony that established its independence in November of 1966.

At the top of the governmental structure is the The Head of State of the island, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, commonly referred to as "The Queen of Barbados".

However the Queen does not use her executive power over the island. She instead appoints a Governor General to represent her. The current Governor General of Barbados is Sir Clifford Husbands who has been the island's Governor General since 1996.

The Governor General of Barbados is then allowed to appoint a Prime Minister to take the position of leader of the island's government. This is however done through a general election, where by political parties try to gain the trust of the public. This is in an attempt order win the majority of seats in the House Of Assembly.

How is the Barbados Parliament structured?

The parliament of Barbados is a bicameral legislature with an Upper House and a Lower House. These are known as The Senate of Barbados and The House of Assembly respectively.

The Senate of Barbados is made up of 21 members that are appointed by The Governor General while the The House Of Assembly is made up of 30 members of the elected party.

Barbados Government Prime Minister David Thompson

Barbados Government Prime Minister David Thompson

Every 5 years a general election is held allowing the public to vote for the political party they wish to place into power.

These elections allow members of the public who are 18 years of age or older regardless of sex the chance to vote for a political party.
The political party that wins the most seats in the House of Assembly is put into office with the leader of the party taking up position as the new Prime Minister of Barbados.

There are two major Barbados political parties that battle it out for office. These two parties are called The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and The Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

The most recent general election was held on January 15th of 2008 with the Democratic Labour Party winning 20 of the 30 seats. This victory made David John Howard Thompson our newest and current Prime Minister.

How about the Barbados Judicial System?

The legal system in Barbados is based on the same legal system used by the British. Again this stems from Barbados being a former British colony.

The judicial system in Barbados is therefore made up of a Supreme Court and a Magistrates Court. The Supreme Court is further divided into The High Court and The Court of Appeal.

Civil, criminal and family cases in Barbados are heard before The High Court while criminal and civil appeals from decisions of the High Court are heard by The Court of Appeal

Simpler cases, which generally do not require a jury, are usually dealt with by The Magistrates Court.

What is the Barbados Government Infromation Service?

The Barbados Government Information Service was established in 1968 and its main goal is to ensure that the people of the island remain informed about the activities of the government in Barbados.

This government information service does this through the use of various means of news media and is essential to maintaining the govermental education of the Barbadian public.

If you want to find out more information about The Barbados Government Inforamtion Service you can visit their official website here.

Quick Facts about The Government of Barbados:

• Type of Government in Barbados: Democratic

• Type of Parliament in Barbados: Bicameral legislature

• Head of State: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

• Prime Minister of Barbados: David Thompson

• Governor General of Barbados: Sir Clifford Husbands

• Barbados Political Parties: The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and The Democratic Labour Party (DLP)

• Current Political Party in Power: The Democratic Labour Party

• Official Barbados Government Website: www.barbados.gov.bb