Barbados: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados etymology: the name derives from the Portuguese "as barbadas," which means "the bearded ones" and can refer either to the long, hanging roots of the island's bearded-fig trees or to the alleged beards of the native Carib inhabitants |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Bridgetown
Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas |
| Independence | 30 November 1966 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Emancipation Day, 1 August (1834); Independence Day, 30 November (1966) |
| Constitution | adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; amended several times, last in 2007 (2016) |
| Legal system | English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent: yes dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Elliot BELGRAVE (since 1 June 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Freundel STUART (since 23 October 2010) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at the discretion of the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held on 21 February 2013 (next to be called in 2018) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 51.3%, BLP 48.3%, other 0.4%; seats by party - DLP 16, BLP 14 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the High Court with 8 justices) and the Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and president of the court and 4 justices; note - Barbados, a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice, replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final court of appeal judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 5-member independent body consisting of the Supreme Court chief justice, the commission head, and governor-general appointees recommended by the prime minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Barbados Labor Party or BLP (Mia MOTTLEY) Democratic Labor Party or DLP (Freundel STUART) People's Empowerment Party or PEP (David COMISSIONG) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU (Mary REDMAN) Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT (Karen BEST) Barbados Workers Union or BWU (Linda BROOKS) Clement Payne Labor Union (David COMISSIONG) Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) (Leroy TROTMAN) National Union of Public Workers or NUPW (Walter MALONEY) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ad interim Jane E. BRATHWAITE chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 939-9200 FAX: (1) (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York consulate(s): Los Angeles |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Linda S. TAGLIALATELA (since 1 February 2016) note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines embassy: U.S. Embassy Road, Bridgetown 14006, Barbados mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; (Department Name) Unit 3120, DPO AA 34055 telephone: (1) (246) 227-4000 FAX: (1) (246) 431-0179 |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident) |
| National symbol(s) | Neptune's trident, pelican, Red Bird of Paradise flower (also known as Pride of Barbados); national colors: blue, yellow, black |
| National anthem | name: "The National Anthem of Barbados" lyrics/music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as "In Plenty and In Time of Need" |