Over 230,600 Barbadians will go to the polls on Wednesday to participate in the first elections of Barbados as a republic after Prime Minister Mia Mottley cut its ties with the British monarchy on Nov. 29, 2021.
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Currently, 108 candidates compete for the 30 seats in Parliament. Mottley’s Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) nominated 30 candidates each, nine candidates are independent, and the remaining ones represent five minority political parties.
At least 3,700 electoral officials will verify the voting process. Electoral and Boundary Commission (EBC) President Leslie Haynes warned that there will be a delay in the dissemination of results due to COVID-19 protocols.
"We have spent a lot of time training our staff, and we hope the delays will not be so long. However, we assume that there will be more delays than usual," Haynes said and stressed that several polling stations were established to avoid overcrowding.
Mottley, whose BLP now controls 29 out of 30 seats, stated the vote would help promote unity in the face of the pandemic, which has heavily hit the country’s tourism-focused economy.
“We have to learn to live with the COVID-19, which is not likely to disappear soon,” the Prime Minister insisted and advised voters to wear masks at polling stations.
As of Jan. 18, Barbados had reported 35,734 coronavirus cases and 269 related deaths, two of which occurred on Jan. 13.