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1971 Barbadian general election

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1971 Barbadian general election

← 1966 9 September 1971 1976 →

24 seats in the House of Assembly
13 seats needed for a majority
Turnout81.62% (Increase1.92pp)
  First party Second party
  Errol Barrow 1968 - 2.png Harold St. John.png
Leader Errol Barrow Bernard St. John
Party DLP BLP
Leader's seat St. John Christ Church South Central (Defeated)
Last election 14 seats 8 seats
Seats won 18 6
Seat change Increase4 Decrease2
Popular vote 53,295 39,376
Percentage 57.40% 42.41%
Swing Increase7.84pp Increase9.81pp

1971 Barbadian general election.svg
Results by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Errol Barrow
DLP

Elected Prime Minister

Errol Barrow
DLP

General elections were held in Barbados on 9 September 1971.[1] Amendments to the electoral system saw the two-member constituencies previously used replaced by single-member first-past-the-post constituencies.[2] This was also the first election in modern Barbadian history to be contested by only two political parties, not including two independent candidates.[3]

The result was a victory for the Democratic Labour Party, which won 18 of the 24 seats. Despite achieving a larger increase in vote share than its opponent, the Barbados Labour Party lost two seats and its leader, Harold Bernard St. John, was defeated in his constituency of Christ Church South Central.[4] Voter turnout was 81.6%, the highest in the country's history.[1]

Discover more about 1971 Barbadian general election related topics

Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of 432 km2 (167 sq mi) and has a population of about 287,000. Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.

Electoral system

Electoral system

An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, non-profit organisations and informal organisations. These rules govern all aspects of the voting process: when elections occur, who is allowed to vote, who can stand as a candidate, how ballots are marked and cast, how the ballots are counted, how votes translate into the election outcome, limits on campaign spending, and other factors that can affect the result. Political electoral systems are defined by constitutions and electoral laws, are typically conducted by election commissions, and can use multiple types of elections for different offices.

Independent politician

Independent politician

An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.

Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)

Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP), colloquially known as the "Dems", is a political party in Barbados, established in 1955. It was the ruling party from 15 January 2008 to 24 May 2018 but faced an electoral wipeout in the 2018 general election which left it with no MPs.

Barbados Labour Party

Barbados Labour Party

The Barbados Labour Party (BLP), colloquially known as the "Bees", is a social democratic political party in Barbados established in 1938. Led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, it is the governing party of Barbados and the sole ruling party in the House of Assembly of Barbados, holding 30 out of 30 seats. The BLP was elected to government on 25 May 2018 after a decade in opposition, with Mottley becoming the country's first female prime minister. The party originally won all of the seats in the House of Assembly, but Bishop Joseph Atherley, the MP for St. Michael West, became an independent MP and the leader of the opposition on 2 June 2018. The party won all 30 seats in the 2022 general election.

Harold Bernard St. John

Harold Bernard St. John

Sir Harold Bernard St. John, KA was a Barbadian politician who served as the third prime minister of Barbados from 1985 to 1986. To date, he is the shortest serving Barbadian prime minister. He was leader of the Barbados Labour Party from 1970 to 1971 and again from 1985 to 1987. He was widely known as Bree.

Results

House of Assembly of Barbados, 1971.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Democratic Labour Party53,29557.4018+4
Barbados Labour Party39,37642.416–2
Independents1740.1900
Total92,845100.00240
Valid votes92,84598.75
Invalid/blank votes1,1741.25
Total votes94,019100.00
Registered voters/turnout115,18981.62
Source: Nohlen

Source: "1971 Barbadian general election", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, July 29th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Barbadian_general_election.

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Further reading
  • Hoyte, Harold, ed. (11 November 2012). "St. Michael holds key to poll victory". Nation Newspaper. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
References
  1. ^ a b Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p90 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ Nohlen, p92
  3. ^ "Barbados General Election Results - 9 September 1971". Caribbean Elections. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  4. ^ Caribbean Elections

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