Opposition routed in Barbados general election

The governing Barbados Labour Party has tightened its grip on power, capturing all 30 seats in Wednesday’s general election and leaving Barbados without a parliamentary opposition for the third consecutive time.

Early speculation that the party might surrender some of the 5 marginal constituencies proved unfounded as results confirmed a clean sweep across the island. The main opposition Democratic Labour Party again failed to convert campaign momentum into seats, extending a string of disappointing performances at the polls.

Celebrations began shortly after 11 p.m. when Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw secured a decisive victory in St. Michael South East. Bradshaw collected 3,050 votes, comfortably ahead of DLP candidate Pedro Shepherd, who received 734. An independent contender managed just 50 ballots.

As counting continued into the night, it became evident that even senior opposition figures were in jeopardy. DLP leader Ralph Thorne, who had left the BLP in 2024 to rejoin and lead his former party, was defeated in his constituency. He garnered 1,876 votes to 2,337 for BLP candidate Charles Griffith. Thorne later announced he would step aside as party leader.

The DLP has faced sustained internal divisions in recent years, challenges that Thorne had sought to repair upon his return. The electorate, however, delivered a resounding verdict.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, 60, appeared emotional as she addressed supporters. She declared Friday, Feb 13, a national holiday and invited citizens to a free public celebration featuring musical performances and other activities over the weekend.

By securing every seat for a third straight election, Mottley became the first woman and the first Barbadian political leader to accomplish the feat. She is also the first leader in the 15 member Caribbean Community in living memory to do so. Observers noted that former Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell had twice swept all 15 seats in his country before retiring from active politics.

Despite the absence of an opposition bench, Mottley pledged restraint. “Even though we have received overwhelming mandates from the people of Barbados, we will guard, tend, and take care of this democracy as if it were a newborn child,” she said. “We did not come to hold office, we came to make Barbados better and your lives better.”

Thorne described the outcome as sobering. “The result is quite disappointing, with no explanation for it,” he told reporters, adding that the party would regroup and that “a new leader will emerge.”

Attention across the region is now shifting to The Bahamas, where Prime Minister Philip Davis has completed candidate selections for 41 seats but has not announced an election date. In Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is also expected to call elections this year, while political watchers say Antigua could follow.