Barbados Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Barbados

Type· independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth recognizing Elizabeth II as Chief of State

Capital: Bridgetown

Political subdivisions: 11 parishes and city of Bridgetown

Legal system: English common law; constitution came into effect upon independence in 1966; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November

Branches: bicameral legislature (Parliament—21-member appointed Senate and 27-member elected House of Assembly); Cabinet headed by Prime Minister

Government leaders: H. Bernard ST.

JOHN, Prime Minister (since March 1985); Sit Hugh SPRINGER, Governor General (since 1984)

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: House of Assembly members have terms no longer than five years; last general election held 18 June 1981

Political parties and leaders: Barbados Labor Party (BLP; leader not yet named [former leader was Prime Minister Tom Adams, who died in March 1985]); Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Errol Barrow

Voting strength: (1981 election) BLP, 52.4%, DLP, 46.8%; independent, negligible; House of Assembly seats—BLP 17, DLP 10

Communists: negligible

Other political or pressure groups: People’s Progressive Movement Bobby Clarke;

People’s Pressure Movement, Eric Sealy; Workers’ Party of Barbados, Dr. George Bell

Member of: CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, 1FC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

NOTE: The information regarding Barbados on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Barbados 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Barbados 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.