BLP WINS A THIRD TERM

by David Harris

The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) lead by Prime Minister Mia Mottley captured all 30 seats in House of Assembly for the third consecutive time in the General Election on Wednesday. 

Counting of votes started after 8 o’clock on Wednesday night and at 11.35 the first official result was announced when the returning officer in the constituency of St Michael South East that the deputy prime minister Santia Bradshaw had defeated Pedro Shepherd of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). Bradshaw polled 3150 votes, and 699 voters voted for Shepherd. 

At 11.55 the returning officer in Christ Church West declared that William Duguid a senior minister in the last Cabinet as the elected Member of Parliament for the constituency, shortly after it was announced that Kirk Humphrey and Davison Ishmael had retained their seats in St Michael South and St Michael North respectively.   

Mottley comfortably won her St Michael North East seat with 3570 votes, her DLP opponent received 391.  Leader of the main opposition DLP, lawyer Ralph Thorne, who was previously elected on a BLP ticket but crossed the floor in February 2026 was defeated by Charles Griffith the sitting MP in the eastern riding of St John. Griffith, the Minister of Sports and Community Development, captured 2327 votes, and Thorne got 1884 votes.     

While victory was secured shortly after midnight the final result was not known until after 3 pm when Neil Rowe of the BLP won the St Michael North West seat after a fierce battle with Ryan Walters. Rowe won with 1674 votes to Walters 1444. 

Speaking to a huge crowd outside the BLP headquarters in Roebuck Street early this morning, Mottley said the landslide came with responsibility and not entitlement. 

“We did not come simply to hold office. We have come to make Barbados and your lives better”, Mottley said. 

The Prime Minister promised to renew focus on issues raised during the elections: “We do not turn our eyes away from the concerns of our constituents constituency by constituency. Whether it is traffic or roads, or the state of our health care, or indeed the issue of public safety. I give you this assurance tonight at 111 Roebuck Street- this team will be required to be able to make progress on all those areas”. 

Four new MPs will sit in Parliament when the House of Assembly meets next week, they are Tyra Trotman (St Michael Central), Ryan Brathwaite (St Joseph), Gregory Nicholls and Dr Shantal Munro-Knight a former Senator and Minister of Culture. 

Trotman, a 30-year-old attorney at law, who defected from the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to the BLP two years ago, got 1992 votes and Andre Worrell of the DLP got 464.  

Michael Lashley who sat in the House of Assembly for 15 years as the DLP MP for St Philip North was elected to Parliament as the representative for the City of Bridgetown. Lashley received 2312 votes and Dale Rowe polled 425.  

Six political parties and several independent candidates contested the election. 

Mottley declared that Friday  February 13th will be a public holiday in celebration of her party’s overwhelming victory. 

The Cabinet will be sworn next Monday, and the new session of Parliament will start on Friday February 20th.