Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has proclaimed Friday, February 13th, 2026, as a national holiday following her party’s unprecedented electoral triumph. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) achieved a historic third consecutive clean sweep, capturing all 30 parliamentary seats in the February 11th general election.
Prime Minister Mottley comfortably retained her St. Michael North East constituency, while Democratic Labour Party leader Ralph Thorne suffered defeat in St. John at the hands of BLP candidate Charles Griffith. The electoral contest featured six political parties and multiple independent candidates, yet none managed to disrupt the BLP’s overwhelming dominance. Mottley is scheduled to be formally sworn into office on Monday to commence her new term.
Preliminary data reveals a strikingly low voter participation rate of approximately 40%, representing a dramatic decline from the 69% turnout recorded during Mottley’s previous electoral victory. This participation level indicates that a majority of registered Barbadian voters abstained from participating in the democratic process, significantly reducing direct public involvement in determining the nation’s leadership.
When contrasted with regional democratic exercises, Belize’s most recent general election demonstrated substantially higher civic engagement with 64% voter participation during the People’s United Party’s victory.