 Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form:Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name:Bridgetowngeographic 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:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; amended several times, last in 2003 (2011)
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
International law organization participation:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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:the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
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 his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-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 justicesnote - 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 [Owen ARTHUR]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]
International organization participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador John E. BEALE (since 29 January 2009)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 Larry L. PALMER (since 9 May 2012); note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesembassy:U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006 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
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' |