At stake in this election:

• 30 seats in the House of Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Freundel STUART
• Assembly: Barbados has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 21 seats and the House of Assembly with 30 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor General Sir Eliot BELGRAVE.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is hereditary head of state.
• In the Senate 21 members are appointed by the governor-general. In the House of Assembly 30 members are elected by direct vote to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Barbados Labor Party (BLP)
  • Leader: Owen Seymour ARTHUR
  • Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 10
• Party: Democratic Labor Party (DLP)
  • Leader: Freundel STUART
  • Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 20

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 282,503 (2013)
• Registered Voters: 235,510 (January 2008 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 147,052 (2013)

·         Is Barbados a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (24 July 1980)

·         Has Barbados ratified CEDAW: Yes (16 October 1980)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 5 (following 2013 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 57 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Barbados a signatory to CRPD: Yes (19 July 2007)

·         Has Barbados ratified CRPD: Yes (27 February 2013)

·         Population with a disability: 442,375 (est.)