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Country Name

Conventional long form: none

Conventional short form: Barbados

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

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution

History: adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2021 establishes Barbados as a republic and revokes the earlier Order in Council

Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as citizenship, fundamental rights and freedoms, and the organization and authorities of the branches of government requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of Parliament; passage of other amendments only requires a majority vote of both houses; amended several times, last in 2021

Note: following the transition to a republic in November 2021, the Government of Barbados in February 2022 began the process of establishing a constitution commission to review a new draft constitution

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 only: yes

Dual citizenship recognized: yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Sandra MASON (since 30 November 2021)

Head of government: Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

Elections appointments: president elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament for a 4-year renewable term; election last held on 20 October 2021; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Election results: Sandra MASON elected as first president on 20 October 2021

Legislative Branch

Description: bicameral Parliament consists of

Elections: Senate - last appointments on 4 February 2022 (next appointments in February 2027)House of Assembly - last held on 19 January 2022 (next to be held in January 2027)

Election results: Senate - appointed; composition as of August 2023 - men 11, women 8, percent of women 42.1% House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - BLP 69%, DLP 26.5%, other 4.5%; seats by party - BLP 30; composition as of August 2023 - men 22, women 8, percent of women 26.7%; note - total Parliament percent of women 32.7%

Note: tradition dictates that the next election is held within 5 years of the last election, but constitutionally it is 5 years from the first seating of Parliament plus a 90-day grace period

Judicial Branch

Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the High Court with 8 justices) and the Court of Appeal (consists of the High Court chief justice and president of the court and 4 justices; note - in 2005, Barbados acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the president 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 presidential appointees recommended by the prime minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65

Subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts

Political Parties and Leaders

Alliance Party for Progress or APP [Joseph ATHERLEY]Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Ronnie YEARWOOD]

Flag Description

Three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (hoist side), gold, and ultramarine 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 Symbols

National Anthem

Lyrics music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

National Heritage