Barbados: 125 Candidates Submit Nomination Papers Ahead of May 24th Election

Barbados' Nomination Day saw a record 125 candidates submit nomination papers, Monday, to guarantee their spot on the ballot ahead of the country's May 24th general elections. However, despite the record number of candidates, two parties, the opposition Barbados Labour Party, led by Mia Mottley, and the Democratic Labour Party, led by Barbadian Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, are expected to dominate the campaign and elections with some 30 candidates.

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Five other parties are in the race, according to Caribbean 360. They include the: United Progressive Party, Solutions Barbados, Barbados Integrity Movement, Bajan Free Party, and the People’s Democratic Congress.

Several independent candidates have also thrown their hats into the ring.

“The Electoral Department has done all that is required with regard to its mandate to have elections conducted in this country. We have already procured all of our election materials, equipment, and supplies, as well as completed the training of election workers, and identified polling stations and counting centers,” said John Haynes, chairman of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

He affirmed that all preparatory work for the polls was complete and that staff was working around the clock to ensure that all procedures go as planned on election day come May 24.

Barbados' election comes amid a report published by the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) that predicts that the country will need budgetary assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following the general elections.

The report, which is titled the Approach Paper Barbados 2014-2018 Country Program Evaluation (CPE), also indicated that Barbados' government has been borrowing billions to bridge the gap between state expenditure and revenue. The report also highlights the country's foreign reserves figures as an area of concern.