Vote Barbados 2008 - Barbados Government Facts

Barbados Government Facts line

Country Name:	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados
General	Area: 430 sq km; 166 sq mi Population: 274,000 (June 2006) Capital City: Bridgetown People: About 80% of Barbados's population are of African descent, 4% European descent, and 16% mixed. Barbados's population growth rate has been very low, less than 1% since the 1960s. Languages: English Religion(s): Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other (e.g. also small Jewish and Muslim communities) 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, other 12%, none 17%. Currency: Barbadian Dollar (BBD) The exchange rate is tied to the US dollar. US$1= BD$1.998 (approx. BD$3.92=£1.00)
Government Type:	parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth
Administrative Divisions:	11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status
Independence:	30 November 1966 (from UK)
National Holiday:	Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:	30 November 1966
Legal System:	English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch:	Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modelled after the British system with Queen Elizabeth II represented as head of state by a Governor General. Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; Prime Minister appointed by the governor general
Legislative Branch:	Bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate. The first Parliament was established in 1639 and since then Barbados has enjoyed a tradition of representative government. The 30 members of the House of Assembly are elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term, although the Government may call an election earlier. The Senate’s 21 members are appointed by the Governor General, 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 with the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and 7 at the Governor General’s discretion. Executive power rests with the cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister and responsible to parliament.
Judicial Branch:	Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services). The judiciary is independent with the highest appellate court being the Court of Appeal in Barbados. Under certain circumstances, final appeals go to the judicial committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Barbados has now made the Caribbean Court of Justice its highest appellate court to move away from the jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
Political Overview:	The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) began its second term of office in 1999 with a majority of 26 out of 28 seats in the House of Assembly, a vast increase over its 1994 victory. The result was attributed mainly to Prime Minister Owen Arthur and his government’s record of fostering solid economic growth. Since independence in 1966 Government has alternated between the BLP and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) which broke away from the BLP in the 1950s. There is a third party, the National Democratic Party (NDP) which broke away from the DLP in the 1980s but it has failed so far to make any impact in the elections. Trade unions enjoy an unusually integrated position in Barbados’ political environment. The Government has fostered a successful tripartite social partnership between Government, employers (represented by the Private Sector Organization) and trade unions, which has facilitated progress by consensus in a number of areas, including the economy.
International Organisation Participation:	ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Basic Economic Facts	GDP, market prices: Bd$6,799m (US$3,408m) (2006) (EIU) GDP per capita: US$7,350 (2007) (Central bank of Barbados) Annual Growth: 3.5% (2006) (EIU) Inflation: 5.5% (June 2007) (Central Bank of Barbados) Unemployment: 8.1% (Q2 2007) (Central Bank of Barbados) Major Economic Sectors: tourism, offshore financial services, construction and utilities, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export, agriculture, information technology services. Major export partners (2005): CARICOM 37.8%, US 12.8%, UK 8.7%, rest of Europe, 3.1% (EIU) Major import partners (2005): US 36.5%, CARICOM 24.7%, Rest of Europe, 7.6%, UK 5.5% (EIU)