Barbadian House of Assembly
| House of Assembly | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
|
Michael A. Carrington
Since 15 January 2008 |
|
| Structure | |
| Seats | 30 |
 |
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|
Political groups
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| Elections | |
|
Last election
|
21 February 2013 |
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Next election
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no later than May 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 |
|
| House of Assembly chamber Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados, West Indies |
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| Website | |
| The House of Assembly | |
The House of Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. It has 30 Members of Parliament (MPs), MPs are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority (or First-past-the-post) system for a term of five years. The House of Assembly sits roughly 40–45 days a year.
The Barbadian House of Assembly chamber is located in the east-wing of The Public Buildings on Broad Street, in Bridgetown, Barbados. The Speaker of the House becomes the thirty-first member when there is a tie vote.
Under section 59 of the constitution, before entering upon the functions of his or her office, the MPs must take the oath of allegiance and the oath of office. According to the "First Schedule" section of the Constitution of Barbados, the official Oath of office for the Prime Minister, Ministers of Parliament, and Parliamentary Secretaries of Barbados is as follows:
The Constitution of Barbados reads, in part:
The last Parliament first sat on 6 March 2013, and was constitutionally dissolved on 6 March 2018.
The Governor General will now have to call a General Election, to be held within 90 days of dissolution, i.e. by 4 June 2018.
In previous elections the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Barbados National Party (BNP), the Conservatives and Independents also won seats besides the two big parties - the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). The DLP had been in opposition since 6 September 1994. Fourteen years later when they won a surprise victory of 20 seats to 10 on 15 January 2008, DLP Leader the incomparable David Thompson (Barbadian politician) was sworn in as the 6th Prime Minister of Barbados. Freundel Stuart was sworn in on 23 October 2010 because of the death of the Prime Minister David Thompson who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2010. Two months later in May 2010 he became ill when the then Acting Prime Minister Freundel Stuart had started and five months later he was sworn in on 23 October 2010 as the 7th Prime Minister of Barbados. Then again on 23 February 2013 he was sworn in as the 7th Prime Minister of Barbados by obtaining sixteen out of thirty seats. The General Elections of 21 February 2013 were one of the closest election Barbados has ever seen.
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Wikipedia