Barbados goes to the polls on January 19

The nation of Barbados goes to the polls on January 19, 2022, just two months after it became the Caribbean’s most recent republic in November 2021. Prime Minister Mia Mottley called a snap election almost 2 years before it was constitutionally required. Her party, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won all 30 of the country’s Parliamentary seats in the 2018 election. Following a subsequent constituency by-election, its majority is now 29-1.

A total of 7 political parties are expected to contest the 2022 elections and most observers expect that the major challenge will come from the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) which earned 22% of the vote in 2018 to the BLP’s 73%.  Should this prove to be the case, Barbados may have the distinction of having both a female Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition as the DLP is headed by Ms. Verla De Peiza.