World News

Barbadian prime minister applauds victory in government party election | Election News

[ad_1]

Mia Mottley’s Labor Party won 30 seats in Barbados’ first election as a republic, according to initial results.

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley has hailed a landslide victory in the first general election of the Caribbean nation since becoming a republic last year, with preliminary results showing that her ruling party won all seats in the national parliament.

Mottley called elections in December for January 19, saying he would help promote unity by tackling the coronavirus pandemic that the island nation was harming, which damaged its tourism economy.

The first results, released on Thursday, showed that Mottley’s Labor Party (BLP) in Barbados won all 30 seats in the lower house of the island’s lower house.

“Today we are on the morning of January 20, when people have spoken with one voice, decisive, unanimous and clear,” Mottley told fans cheering at the BLP headquarters.

Victory gives Mottley, the nation’s first female leader, a second five-year term as prime minister. A 16-seat majority was needed to win, and Mottley achieved the same level when his party won the 2018 election.

“We would like to thank all the people of Barbados for their continued trust in us,” he said in a statement on the victory.

The vote came after Barbados officially became a republic in late November, he replaced the British monarch as head of state and broke the last remaining colonial ties with the first English ships almost 400 years after their arrival on the island.

Former British colony chose Sandra Mason first president, and replaced it Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.

Barbados faces economic challenges, including the rebuilding of the damaged tourism economy. Mottley is committed to focusing on financial security, food, renewable energy projects and housing.

The dancers performed at a presidential inauguration ceremony in Bridgetown, Barbados, last year, which marked the birth of a new republic. [File: Jonathan Brady/Pool via Reuters]

He noted that Barbados, an island with more than 300,000 inhabitants, has reported more than 37,000 confirmed infections with COVID-19 infection, while still fighting the pandemic that has hit its tourism sector.

“We’ve done well as a nation, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” he said after swearing.

Mottley said he would announce his cabinet on Monday and declined to share details of upcoming changes in government positions.

Leaders across the region applauded the election results, including Carla Natalie Barnett, secretary general of the Caribbean Community, a 15-member regional trade bloc, congratulating Mottley on the “tremendous victory.”

Mottley’s main opponent, Verla De Peiza of the Democratic Labor Party, admitted defeat.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also congratulated Mottley on his victory. “We look forward to deepening our cooperation with the Prime Minister [Mottley] and his administration, ”Blinken wrote on Twitter.

Mottley’s call for a short ballot was postponed by about a year and a half before mid-2023.

Opposition leaders criticized Mottley for holding the election because some people were infected with coronavirus and were unable to leave their homes.

“We have lost our democracy without intention,” De Peiza told local media, calling voter turnout “depressive”. He added: “It was an irresponsible time to call an election.”

More than 266,000 people were eligible to vote, and preliminary information suggested that 50 percent participated.



[ad_2]

Source link

Related Articles

Back to top button