MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

PM Mottley poised for landslide reelection victory in Barbados

Mottley had called the snap election in December

Mia Mottley looked poised to be re-elected as Prime Minister of Barbados, while projections heralded the Barbados Labor Party (BLP) will hold more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament following Wednesday's (Jan. 19) elections.

Mottley will thus have a second consecutive term as prime minister. According to the preliminary results, the BLP has so far won 18 constituencies out of the 30 that were in dispute on the historic election day, the first since the country broke ties with the British Crown.

Barbados, a nation of 280,000, became the world's youngest republic last November by completely abandoning its colonial past after resigning from the Queen of England as head of state and calling for early general elections for Jan. 19, for which the parliament was dissolved.

Mottley’s (BLP) went into the vote holding 29 of the 30 seats in the national legislature, and the prime minister was comfortably re-elected in one of the first constituencies to be declared, according to the latest reports. Projections on local television suggested the BLP was headed for a decisive victory over the opposition.

The Prime Minister had called the snap election in December, saying it would help promote unity as the government battled the coronavirus pandemic and its negative impact on tourism.

The former British colony declared independence in 1966 but retained Queen Elizabeth as its ceremonial head of state until Nov. 30 last year when She was replaced by President Sandra Mason.