Barbados is a small Caribbean island. It is located south-east of St. Lucia and east of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s capital city, Bridgetown, is located on the south-west coast of the island. Barbados is widely known, as is many Caribbean islands, for its beaches and resorts for worldwide tourists.
The country was once part of the British Empire and gained independence on November 1966 but is part of the Commonwealth Realm meaning it still recognizes the British Monarch as Head of State who is represented by a Governor-General in the nation.
The country’s official language is English but also has a recognized English-based Creole language called Bajan Creole. The country has its own currency called the Barbadian Dollar and the largest religion is Christianity. As of 2017 the country’s population was just under 286,000.
Government Type
The country functions as a constitutional parliamentary monarchy with the British Monarch as Head of State, represented by an appointed Governor-General and a Prime Minister as Head of Government who is appointed by the Governor-General after the result of Parliamentary elections.
The parliamentary system is bicameral with an upper and lower house.
Monarchy & Executive Government
The Governor-General, who acts as representative for the Head of State, Monarch of the British royal family, is appointed by the British Monarch for life. The role is mostly ceremonial as is all instances of the British Monarchy. But they do have some powers, such as appointing the Prime Minister from the winning party, which is by convention the party’s leader. The Governor-General must act on the advice of the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Ministers unless select circumstances state otherwise.
It is stated that some circumstances, such as for example a successful vote of no confidence where the Prime Minister refuses to resign, can allow the Governor-General to revoke the appointment of the Prime Minister, remove a judge or to dissolve parliament. The Governor-General gives assent to laws passed by the parliament. The Governor-General can also appoint other certain public offices on advice from the Prime Minister. He also appoints the Leader of the Opposition.
The Governor-General also sits on a Privy Council that can perform duties given to it by the constitution. The Governor-General’s other powers include granting pardons, granting respite from punishment or granting less severe punishment, or remit/shortening of punishment. The Privy Council are often involved in these powers as well. The Governor-General also appoints judges to the Supreme Court on advice from the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister who is Head of Government and appointed by the Governor-General heads a Cabinet that controls government policy and is responsible to parliament. The Governor-General appoints Cabinet members on advice from the Prime Minister, members from either house of parliament can be on the Cabinet. The Prime Minister must keep the Governor-General informed on all matters.
Legislative Government
The legislative government is made up of two houses, the lower house called the House of Assembly and the upper house called the Senate. The House of Assembly has a set 30 democratically-elected members which can be changed if the number of constituencies is amended (it was originally 24-members). The Senate has a set 21 members which are appointed each term by the Governor-General, a set number on advice from the PM, from advice of the Opposition Leader and others on the sole discretion of the Governor-General themselves.
Both houses can introduce legislation and amend them, but the Senate is limited on its power over monetary bills being unable to introduce them, the Senate can also be overruled by the House of Assembly if they pass a bill two-times that had been rejected by the Senate, in this case it will bypass the Senate and go straight to the Governor-General for assent.
The House of Assembly elect a Speaker from among themselves who must act impartial and keep the house in order during sessions and make sure that parliamentary rules are followed.
Likewise, the Senate elects a President and Vice-President from among themselves who have similar duties in their house.
Changing the country’s constitution requires amendments to pass both houses with a two-thirds vote.
Electoral System
Parliamentary elections are held every 5-years or sooner if an early election is called, to elect all members of the House of Assembly from single-seat constituencies using the first-past-the-post system. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General from the winning party. Candidates for the House of Assembly must be a citizen of Barbados and at least 21-years-old.
The Senate is also re-appointed every 5-years, 12 Senators are appointed by the Governor-General on advice of the Prime Minister, two Senators are appointed by the Governor-General on advice from the Leader of the Opposition and the final seven Senators are appointed at the sole discretion of the Governor-General. Appointments to the Senate must have been citizens of Barbados for at least 12-months and be at least 21-years-old.
Certain conditions disqualify a person from being appointed even if they meet the above requirements, these include being a House of Assembly member, having allegiance to a foreign state, being a judge, Director of Public Prosecutions or Auditor-General, within the last 10-years been convicted of in a crime involving dishonesty and has not obtained a successful appeal or been pardoned, under sentence of death or is serving a jail sentence longer than 6-months, a person judged insane or unsound mind, declared bankrupt and undischarged or someone who has been disqualified from the House of Assembly for being convicted or guilty of election crimes.
There is also a further list of reasons that the parliament can decide to impose on someone to prevent them from being appointed, such as being an armed force or police member.
The above disqualifications are basically identical for the House of Assembly.
Voters must be at least 18-years-old and voting is not compulsory.
Thank you for reading and I hope this was useful or interesting. Next up will be Belarus.
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