BARBADOS | Mottley's BLP sweeps General Elections 30 to Nil, Again!

 ST. MICHAEL,  Barbados, January 20, 2022 - Leader of the  Barbados Labour Party (BLP ) Mia Mottley will on Monday announce the members of her Cabinet after a resounding  and historic sweep at the polls in the January 19 general elections, where her party executed a second consecutive sweep of all 30 parliamentary seats in the Elections.

Seven political parties, including the main opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) under new leader, Attorney, Verla De Peiza, contested the elections, called some 18 months ahead of the constitutional deadline, in the nation's first general election since it became a republic last year by removing Britain's queen as sovereign head of state.

Addressing hundreds of supporters  early Thursday morning, at BLP headquarters on Roebuck Street St. Michael, the Prime Minister-elect thanked  Barbadians for embracing the BLP’s election slogan “Stay the Course”.

"We stand today on the morning of the 20th of January confident that the people have spoken with one voice - decisively, unanimously and clearly," Mottley told her cheering supporters.

"We want to thank each and every one of the people of Barbados for the confidence that they continue to repose is us," she said in her victory speech delivered in wee hours of the morning.

She said she had agreed to a request by her parliamentary group to continue as party leader, and announced the reappointment of Dale Marshall as Attorney General (St. Joseph) and Santia Bradshaw (St. Michael South East) as Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly. Both Mottley and Marshall will be sworn in on Thursday at State House by President, Dame Sandra Mason.

Mottley told her supporters that her government wanted a one party state, she said nothing could be further from the truth. "I am a child of democracy. I know what it is to know every single prime minister in this nation since Errol Walton Barrow; and it is that solemn commitment in front of you, the people of this nation; in front of the people of the world, and in particular in front of my parliamentary colleagues,that we shall continue to keep the best precepts of democracy, transparency and accountability alive to the people of this nation," Mottley declared to a cheering crowd.

Regrettably there were those who thought they would form their own opposition and would do things that would make their own country almost difficult to govern. But tonight, the people have spoken," Mottley said, after indicating that her administration would be "an opposition for ourselves."

Verla De Peiza, leader of the opposition Democratic Labour Party, conceded defeat and congratulated the Barbados Labour Party and its leader on the victory.

Mottley called the snap election on December 27, 2021 saying it would help promote unity as the government battled the coronavirus pandemic, which has heavily affected the tourism-focused economy.

Opposition leaders had criticized Mottley for holding the election at a moment when some people were infected with coronavirus and could not leave their homes. About 5,500 people from a population of just under 300,000 are in isolation due to COVID-19, according official figures.

The opposition had unsuccessfully sought a court injunction to stop the vote on the grounds that holding vote amid pandemic restrictions violated suffrage rights.

The former British colony declared independence in 1966 but retained Queen Elizabeth as its ceremonial head of state until Nov. 30 last year. She was replaced by President Sandra Mason.