Barbados

Key facts

POPULATION (Census): 250,010
AREA: 430 sq km
CAPITAL: Bridgetown
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION TO GDP: -
CURRENCY: Barbadian dollar (BBD)
HEAD OF STATE: HM Queen Elizabeth II
GOVERNOR-GENERAL: Sir Clifford Husbands
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Prime Minister Freundel Stuart
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy
PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM: bicameral
STATE STRUCTURE: unitary
LANGUAGES: English (official) Bajan (recognised)
NATIONAL ELECTIONS: last: 2008; turnout: 56.7%; next: 2013
LOCAL ELECTIONS: There is no elected local government

Summary

Barbados is a parliamentary democracy with no elected local government.
The Constituency Council Act 2009 created a new Department of Constituency Empowerment within the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development which is tasked with overseeing the creation and activities of newly formed constituency councils within Barbados’ 30 constituencies