General elections were held inBarbados on 19 January 2022 to elect the 30 members of theHouse of Assembly. The rulingBarbados Labour Party won all 30 seats for the second consecutive election.
This was the 12th national election held since independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1966, the 16th since the institution ofuniversal suffrage in 1951, and the first since Barbadosbecame a republic in 2021.[1] For the first time, both the rulingBarbados Labour Party and its historical rival theDemocratic Labour Party were led by women.[2] Voter turnout was 42.97%, making it the first time after universal suffrage that a turnout for a general election was less than half and the lowest turnout on record.
Despite a commanding 29–1 BLP majority in the House of Assembly and elections not being required until 2023, on 27 December 2021Prime MinisterMia Mottley announced that an early election would be held on 19 January the following year.[6][7][8] Mottley's announcement came within a month of the countrybecoming a republic.[9] She described the election as a "refuelling stop" for the nation,[9] while opposition leaders criticised the early elections as an attempt by her to consolidate power.[10]
Early voting was held for police officers and election day workers on 12 January.[13]
On 18 January, Philip Catlyn, a member of the Barbados Sovereignty Party (BSP), filed for an injunction against the President and the Attorney General to stop the election. He argued that thehome isolation requirements for those testing positive forCOVID-19 would prevent close to 5,000 people from voting. Barbados does not allow absentee voting.[14] After hearing the legal arguments. High Court justice Cicely Chase dismissed the case as being out of her jurisdiction. She said that the case should have been filed in an election court.[15]
Prime Minister Mottley and attorney-generalDale Marshall were both sworn in for a second term by presidentSandra Mason on 20 January 2022.[30]
On 21 January, as the DLP had not regained any seats in theHouse of Assembly, DLP presidentVerla De Peiza resigned.[31] Ronnie Yearwood was then subsequently elected leader of the party on 1 May 2022.[32] APP leader Joseph Atherley announced that the alliance would begin preparing for the next election. Both APP[33] and DLP drew attention to the low voter turnout rate.[34]
The Solutions Barbados party congratulated the BLP and announced its willingness to work with the government.[35] Prime Minister Mottley received congratulations from foreign countries and organisations such asCaricom and theOECS.[36][37]
The newly re-elected Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, announced the following Cabinet of Ministers on 24 January 2022, and subsequently added William Duguid the next day:
Cabinet of Ministers after the 2022 Barbadian general election
Ministerial Office
Office Holder
Constituency
Political Party
Prime Minister Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, with responsibility for Culture, Security, Public Service, Caricom and Development Commissions
^Constitution: Section 61 (3): "Subject to the provisions of subsection (4), Parliament, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date of its first sitting after any dissolution and shall then stand dissolved. (4) At any time when Barbados is at war, Parliament may extend the period of five years specified in subsection (3) for not more than twelve months at a time:"
^Constitution: Section 62 (1) (2): "After every dissolution of Parliament the Governor General shall issue writs for a general election of members of the House of Assembly returnable within ninety days from that dissolution. (2) As soon as may be after every general election the Governor General shall proceed under section 36 to the appointment of Senators."
16.59pp)
.svg)
_(cropped).jpg)
