Barbadians will be taking to the polls on January 19, 2022 to vote for their government of choice after Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced a snap election, some 18 months earlier than expected.
Mottley made the announcement late Monday night during a 37-minute radio and television broadcast where she urged Barbadians to go and exercise their “democratic franchise”.
She said she advised President Sandra Mason to declare January 3 as Nomination Day, adding that the decision to hold the General Elections at a much earlier date than expected is one that is above party politics.
Mottley said she did not want the Barbadian public going into 2022 as a divided nation, stating that if she was motivated solely by the need to survive, she would have relaxed with her 29-1 Parliament and ridden out the COVID-19 wave for the next 18-months.
“Defeating COVID would not be a benchmark, surviving it would be the acid test. Were I motivate solely by what is in the interest of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), I would say run the innings down to the last ball and hedge my best that by June of 2023, we would be emerging, if not having already emerged from the brunt of the COVID pandemic. But my friends my worry is now,” Mottlet stated.
She added, “I am concerned if we start 2022 as a divided nation, we will stunt and frustrate our own progress and what we do today stands to affect this country for the next 20 to 30 years. And we are willing to take the risk because we would rather depart leaving Barbados on course to recovery than grapple for the next 18 months as a divided nation, not making the most of the opportunities that this new COVID environment presents”.
Mottley’s BLP is expected to face a main challenge from the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) that was swept aside in 2018.
The present Opposition Leader, Bishop Joseph Atherley, who had been part of the victorious BLP when they won all 30 seats, is also expected to contest the polls with a new party.