By Sarah Morland
Feb 11 (Reuters) – Voters across Barbados headed to the polls on Wednesday to cast ballots in the Caribbean island nation’s general election in which Prime Minister Mia Mottley will seek a third term, facing off against opposition leader Ralph Thorne.
Barbados, the Caribbean’s easternmost country, is home to around 283,000 people and is a little over half the size of Singapore.
Mottley has built one of the strongest global profiles of any Caribbean leader, and was rumored to be a potential candidate for the next United Nations chief. She has served as rotating chair of the Caribbean Community, advocated internationally for stronger action against climate change, and in 2021 presided over the former British colony’s transition into a republic.
Only one other leader has ever served more than two terms in a row in Barbados, which has no term limits, and Mottley would be the first woman to do so.
Her party has vowed to continue its work on the economy, cost of living and the international stage, while the opposition has criticized issues of security and infrastructure, with Thorne saying policy should be focused on Barbadians’ domestic priorities.
Thorne’s centrist Democratic Labour Party (DLP) currently holds one seat versus the 29 held by Mottley’s Barbados Labour Party (BLP). The BLP swept the last two elections – 2018 and 2022 – winning all 30 seats of the nation’s House of Assembly.
The governing party lost one seat in 2024 only when Thorne, who was elected to represent the Christ Church South district for the BLP, crossed the floor and became leader of the opposition.
Ahead of the elections, some candidates for members of opposition parties said inaccuracies on the electoral register, such as missing names, could undermine the vote. The electoral commission rejected accusations of interference and said the process was legitimate.
(Reporting by Sarah Morland in Mexico City and Sarah Peter in Castries; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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