| Barbados Government Structure |
| Barbados is an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is a parliamentary democracy with regular elections. As a Commonwealth country, its political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom. |
| BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT |
| The Government of Barbados is divided into three parts, or branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. |
 |
| EXECUTIVE BRANCH |
| Barbados recognises Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, while an appointed Governor-General serves as the Queen's representative in Barbados. Executive authority is vested in the Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are accountable to the legislative branch of government. The leader of the majority party in the legislative branch, called the House of Assembly, serves as Prime Minister and head of government. The Cabinet consists of at least nine members, including the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General. The Ministers are appointed by the House of Assembly. Up to three ministers can be appointed from among the senators. Usually the strongest party in the House of Assembly elects the executive. |
| LEGISLATIVE BRANCH |
| The legislative branch consists of the Senate and the lower House of Assembly. The House of Assembly consists of 30 members, elected from individual constituencies for 5-year terms. As under the Westminster system, the government may dissolve the Parliament and call elections at any time. The House of Assembly performs all major legislative functions. The leader of the majority party serves as Prime Minister and head of government. The Cabinet consists of at least nine members, including the Prime Minister and ministers of executive departments. They answer politically to the House of Assembly. The Senate has 21 members, all appointed by the Governor-General, 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, two on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, and seven in the Governor-General’s discretion. |
| JUDICIAL BRANCH |
| Barbados' judiciary includes the Supreme Court, which consists of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The chief justice is appointed by the Governor-General after consultation with the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition; the other judges who make up the court are appointed on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. Judges serve until the age of 65; in case of vacancies, the Governor-General has the authority to appoint acting judges who serve until the appropriate consultations have been made. Appeals from decisions made by the High Court may be made to the three-judge Court of Appeal. The Caribbean Court of Justice is the highest Court for Barbados. |
|
 |
| Key |
| |
Bajan Free Party |
|
NDP = National Democratic Party |
|
United Progressive Party |
| |
Barbados Integrity Movement |
|
People's Democratic Congress |
|
WPB = Workers Party of Barbados |
| |
Barbados
Labour Party |
|
PEP = People's Empowerment Party |
|
Independent Candidate |
| |
Democratic
Labour Party |
|
PPA = People's Political Alliance |
|
*incumbent |
| |
Kingdom Government of Barbados |
|
Solutions Barbados |
|
** Political Leader |
|
| Sources |
| Barbados Electoral and Boundaries Commission |
| Bajan Free Party (2018). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/Bajan-Free-Party-BFP-HonAlex-MitchellEl-1767331239973521/ |
| Barbados Integrity Movement (2018). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/barbdaosintegritymovement/?ref=py_c |
| Barbados Labour Party. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.blp.org.bb/ |
| Coalition of United Party. (2018) Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/alexmitchell.el/ |
| Democratic Labour Party. (2018). Retrieved from http://dlpbarbados.org/site/ |
| Solutions Barbados. (2018). Retrieved from https://solutionsbarbados.com/ |
| United Progressive Party. (2018). Retrieved from https://uppbarbados.org/ |
| Fact Check |
| We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, or if you would like to share additional information on the topic, kindly contact us! |
| How to Reference Our Site |
| To reference our site, please use the following as a general guideline. |
| APA: KnowledgeWalk Institute. (Date Published).Title of Web Page. Retrieved from (URL) |
| MLA: "Title of Web Page." caribbeanelections.com. KnowledgeWalk Institute, (date published). Web. Date Accessed. |
| Chicago: "Title of Web Page," KnowledgeWalk Institute, last modified (date), URL. |
