Barbadians will head to the polls on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, after Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley officially announced an early general election, moving the vote up by more than a year ahead of the constitutional deadline. The call for elections was made during a Barbados Labour Party nomination meeting at Westbury Primary School on Saturday, where attorney-at-law Michael Lashley, KC, was confirmed as the party’s candidate for the City. With Lashley’s nomination, the ruling BLP has finalized its slate for all 30 House of Assembly seats.

Parliament is set to dissolve on January 19 to trigger the election campaign, with Nomination Day scheduled for January 27. Mottley’s decision follows months of speculation after she signaled in late 2025 that an early poll was likely. Addressing supporters last December, she urged the party faithful to prepare for the campaign.

“Whilst there is work to be done, there is work for the Barbados Labour Party and its soldiers to do, and we are all turning up for work in 2026,” she said. “If something can be done, it is this Barbados Labour Party that will do it, always, always, always.”

Mottley highlighted the country’s economic performance as a key reason for seeking a renewed mandate, citing 17 consecutive quarters of growth, record-low unemployment, and historically high foreign reserves. “We have seen it come from the economic doldrums,” she said. “We no longer go to sleep worrying about foreign reserves; our foreign reserves are the highest they’ve ever been.”

This election will be the second consecutive early dissolution under Mottley, who led the BLP to historic 30–0 victories in 2018 and 2022, leaving the opposition without representation in the House of Assembly. With the election date confirmed, political activity is expected to intensify across the island as parties launch campaigns to win voter support ahead of February 11.

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