Barbados House of Assembly
Encyclopedia
The House of Assembly is the lower house
of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados
. It has 30 Members of Parliament (MPs), MPs are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority (or First-past-the-post
) system for a term of five years.
The Barbadian House of Assembly chamber is located in the east-wing of The Public Buildings on Broad Street, in Bridgetown
, Barbados
. The Speaker of the House becomes the thirty-first member when there is a tie vote.
and the oath of office. According to the "First Schedule" section of the Constitution of Barbados
, the official Oath of office
for the Prime Minister, Ministers of Parliament, and Parliamentary Secretaries of Barbados is as follows:
(NDP), the Barbados National Party (BNP), the Conservatives and Independents also won seats besides the two big parties - the Barbados Labour Party (BLP)
and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP)
. The DLP which had been in opposition since 1994, won a surprise victory of 20 seats to 10, on January 16, 2008 DLP leader David Thompson (Barbadian politician)
was sworn in as the 6th Prime Minister of Barbados.
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados
Parliament of Barbados
The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. The Parliament is bicameral in composition and is formally made up of: HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados The Parliament of Barbados is the...
. It has 30 Members of Parliament (MPs), MPs are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority (or First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
) system for a term of five years.
The Barbadian House of Assembly chamber is located in the east-wing of The Public Buildings on Broad Street, in Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. The Speaker of the House becomes the thirty-first member when there is a tie vote.
Oath or affirmation
Under section 59 of the constitution, before entering upon the functions of his or her office, the MPs must take the oath of allegianceOath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
and the oath of office. According to the "First Schedule" section of the Constitution of Barbados
Constitution of Barbados
The Constitution of Barbados is the supreme law under which Barbados is governed. The Constitution provides a legal establishment of the structure and various roles of administration of the Sovereign , the Vice-Royal , the Government of Barbados, as well as legal rights and responsibilities of the...
, the official Oath of office
Oath of office
An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations...
for the Prime Minister, Ministers of Parliament, and Parliamentary Secretaries of Barbados is as follows:
Previous elections
In previous elections the National Democratic PartyNational Democratic Party (Barbados)
The National Democratic Party was a centrist political party in Barbados. The party first contested national elections in 1991, when it won 6.8% of the vote, but failed to win a seat. In the 1994 elections it increased its share of the vote to 12.8% and won a single seat. However, the party did not...
(NDP), the Barbados National Party (BNP), the Conservatives and Independents also won seats besides the two big parties - the Barbados Labour Party (BLP)
Barbados Labour Party
The Barbados Labour Party is the main opposition party of Barbados. Led by Rt. Hon.Owen Arthur, the BLP holds 9 out of 30 seats in the House of Assembly as of January 2008...
and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP)
Democratic Labour Party
The Democratic Labour Party is a name used by many political parties:* Democratic Labour Party * Democratic Labour Party * Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania* Democratic Labour Party...
. The DLP which had been in opposition since 1994, won a surprise victory of 20 seats to 10, on January 16, 2008 DLP leader David Thompson (Barbadian politician)
David Thompson (Barbadian politician)
David John Howard Thompson, QC, MP was the sixth Prime Minister of Barbados from January 2008 until his death from pancreatic cancer on 23 October 2010....
was sworn in as the 6th Prime Minister of Barbados.
| election | BLP | DLP | NDP | BNP | Conservatives | Independents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2008 | 10 | 20 | ||||
| 21 May 2003 | 23 | 7 | ||||
| 21 May 2003 | 23 | 7 | ||||
| 20 January 1999 | 26 | 2 | ||||
| 5 September 1994 | 19 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 21 January 1991 | 10 | 18 | ||||
| 28 January 1986 | 3 | 24 | ||||
| 1981 | 17 | 10 | ||||
| 1976 | 17 | 7 | ||||
| 1971 | 6 | 18 | ||||
| 3 November 1966 | 8 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 1961 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1956 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 1 |