Government of Barbados

Government of Barbados consists of: The Monarch, HM Queen Elizabeth II (and her representative the Governor-General, HE Sir Clifford Husbands); The Prime Minister, The Hon. Freundel Stuart, and his Cabinet; (Parliament) as legislature, divided into two chambers (Senate and House of Assembly), and an independent judiciary. In keeping with the evolution of the Westminster system of governance, Barbados has evolved into a Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy, meaning that all real power rests with the Parliament. Executive authority is vested in both the Prime Minister and Cabinet who are collectively responsible to Parliament. Barbadian law is rooted historically on English common law, and the Constitution of Barbados implemented in 1966, is supreme law of the land.

History

A simplified diagram of the Barbados government

The government has been chosen by elections since 1961 elections, when Barbados achieved full self-governance. Before then, the government was a Crown colony consisting of either colonial administration solely (such as the Executive Council), or a mixture of colonial rule and a partially-elected assembly, such as the Legislative Council. Both the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party have formed the government in the elections since 1961.

Executive Branch

The Prime Minister and Cabinet is formed by the political party which gains a simple majority in the general elections held in Barbados. These elections constitutionally must be held no longer than every five years apart, however elections can be called whenever the Government so chooses to seek a new mandate or loses a vote of no confidence in Parliament. It is part of Barbados' political system and supported by the Public service.

Ministries

Barbados

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Barbados

Government Sovereign Elizabeth II The Crown Acting Governor-General Elliot Belgrave Prime Minister Freundel Stuart Cabinet The Privy Council Ministries Civil Service Parliament House of Assembly Speaker Michael Carrington MP Political Opposition Opposition Leader Owen Arthur, Rt. Hon., MP Senate President Deputy President Leader of the Senate Legislation Judiciary Constitution Caribbean Court of Justice Supreme Court of Judicature Court of Appeal High Court Magistrates Courts Law of Barbados Human rights Parishes Politics of Barbados Government Parliament Constituency Councils Local Government (Vestry) Mayor of Bridgetown Bridgetown City Council Elections Parliament constituencies Political parties Barbados Labour Party Democratic Labour Party Last election Next election Foreign relations Diplomatic missions Politics of the Caribbean

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Portfolio	Minister
Governor General	His Excellency Sir Clifford S. Husbands
Prime Minister of Barbados Head of the Cabinet of Barbados	The Hon. Freundel Stuart
Prime Minister's Office	Sen. The Hon. Darcy Boyce
Office of the Attorney General	The Hon. Adriel Brathwaite
Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Industry and Small Business Development	Dr. The Hon. David Estwick
Ministry of Commerce and Trade	Sen. The Hon. Haynesley Benn
Ministry of Drainage, Water Resource Management and the Environment	Dr. The Hon. Denis Lowe
Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development	The Hon. Ronald D. Jones
Ministry of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth	The Hon. Stephen Lashley
Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs	The Hon. Christopher Sinckler
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade	Sen. The Hon. Maxine McClean
Ministry of Health	The Hon. Donville Inniss
Ministry of Home Affairs	The Hon. Adriel Brathwaite
Ministry of Housing, Lands, Urban and Rural Development	The Hon. Patrick M. T. Todd
Ministry of International Transport and International Business	The Hon. George Hutson
Ministry of Labour	Dr. The Hon. Esther Byer-Suckoo
Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development	The Hon. Steven D. Blackett
Minister Of State	The Hon. Patrick M. T. Todd
Ministry of Tourism	The Hon. Richard L. Sealy
Ministry of Transport and Works	The Hon. John D. E. Boyce

Judicial Branch

Main article: Judiciary of Barbados

Barbados' Courts include the Magistrates' Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal. It is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice, and enjoys appeals to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Perception

Transparency International ranked Barbados as 17th place (of 179) in the world on its corruption perceptions index in 2010, with only 1 nation surpassing it in the Americas. ([1])

See also

• Prime Minister of Barbados
• Monarchy of Barbados
• List of ministers of the environment
• Parliament of Barbados

Further reading

• Dupont, Jerry (2001). The common law abroad: constitutional and legal legacy of the British empire. William S. Hein & Co., Inc.. pp. Pgs. 199–206. ISBN 087731259. http://books.google.com/books?id=pCX660FA5wMC&lpg=PA202&pg=PA199#v=onepage&f=false. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 

Gallery

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  Office of the Prime Minister

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  The Cabinet Office "Government Headquarters" complex

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  Main entrance to "Government Headquarters" complex, with a statue of Sir Grantley Adams in the foreground

External links

• Government of Barbados at the Open Directory Project
• Barbadian Government Website
• The Barbados Governmental System, Photius Coutsoukis
• Barbados Government statement on the proper titles for members of Government
• Social Security provided by the Government of Barbados
• Laws of Barbados, The World Law Guide