For the third consecutive time, the Barbados Labor Party (BLP) has won every single seat in general elections held on the island on Wednesday, and the victory again leaves the nation without a parliamentary opposition going forward.
Pollsters had predicted that the party might have lost a few of the five so-called marginal seats up for grabs, but the main opposition Democratic Labor Party (DLP) flattered to deceive, as it had in the last three elections.
BLP celebrations began shortly after 11 p.m., when results were confirmed for Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw’s St. Michael South East district, where she won by a landslide, picking up 3,050 votes versus 734 for Pedro Shepherd of the DLP. A third independent candidate tallied just 50.
As the night went by, it became clear that the DLP’s decimation was imminent as the sweep even included DLP boss and former opposition Leader Ralph Thorne.
Thorne, who had defected from the BLP in 2024 to return to his DLP, tallied only 1,876 votes to 2,337 for Charles Griffith of the BLP. He has since said he would step down as party leader. The DLP has been wracked by severe internal wrangling that Thorne had tried to heal with his return, but the damage to the party’s reputation appeared to have hurt its image.
Struggling to hide her emotions, PM Mia Mottley, 60, declared Friday, Feb 13, a national holiday and invited Barbadians to a massive free event involving musical renditions and other activities over the weekend.
In picking up all 30 seats for the third consecutive time, Mottley not only became the first woman and local politician to do so but also the first in the 15-nation Caribbean Community in living memory. Grenada’s Keith Mitchell had also swept all 15 seats twice during his protracted career. He has since retired from active politics.
Making a pact with the nation, PM Mottley solemnly promised that there would be no overreaches while governing with a parliamentary opposition.
“Even though we have received overwhelming mandates from the people of Barbados, we will guard, tend, and take care of this democracy as if it were a newborn child, requiring our total attention and care. We do not turn our eyes away from the concerns of our constituents, constituency by constituency. We did not come to hold office, we came to make Barbados better and your lives better,” she said while declaring victory.
For nemesis Ralph Thorne, the results were devastating.
“The result is quite disappointing, with no explanation for it. I want to say that the party came back after the obvious difficulties of two years ago. We came back, and we fought together. We were united, and the people of Barbados understand. And I think we came out looking quite well. The result, as I said, is disappointing, but this party is very resourceful in going forward. Clearly, the time comes when I must pass it on to others. This is a democratic organization. I do not write political will and a new leader will emerge, I’m sure in the fullness of time,” he told reporters.
And now that the Barbadians have voted, regional attention is turning to The Bahamas, where both major parties have completed candidate selection for all 41 seats. Prime Minister Phillip Davis has urged supporters to be ready, but no date has been fixed as yet.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica is also expected to call elections this year, with an outside chance on the political cards for Antigua as well. A dozen CARICOM nations went to the polls last year, with several changes of government, notably in Trinidad, Suriname, and St. Vincent.
