The Barbados Labour Party was the first mass-based political party to come on the political scene in Barbados and dominated political life on the islands, gaining wide support from Barbadians across the country.
However, in 1955 a group of members broke away from the BLP, led by Grantley Adams, and formed the Democratic Labour Party (BLP). The DLP took over the leadership reigns of the country when it won the 1961 general election.
DLP Leader Errol Barrow, who led his party to victory in the 1966 general election, took the country into political independence on November 30 1966, becoming the island’s first Prime Minister.
But in the 1976 general election the BLP, under the leadership of attorney JMGM “Tom” Adams – the son of Sir Grantley – was swept back into office, a feat it repeated five years later with a victory in the 1981 general election.
Following Adam’s death in office on March 11, 1985, his deputy Harold Bernard St. John became Prime Minister, but one year later he led the BLP to a heavy defeat at the hands of the DLP, once again led by Barrow.
One year later, Barrow passed away and his deputy Lloyd Erskine Sandiford (later Sir Lloyd) took up the post both as Prime Minister and party leader.
The country went to the poll five years later where the electorate returned the DLP to power under the leadership of Sandiford, but his government collapsed three years later due to a successful no confidence motion brought against him.
In 1994 Barbadians went the polls for the second time in less than three years, leading to victory for the BLP under the leadership of economist Owen Seymour Arthur.
Arthur led the DLP to an even more impressive election victory in 1999, when it swept all but two of the 30 parliamentary seats at stake in the election. The party gained a third successive term in 2003.
Now Barbados go to the poll on January 15 to elect a new government with the BLP seeking an unprecedented fourth term, while the DLP under the leadership on David Thompson tries to get out of the political wilderness.
| Past Election Results | |||||||
| Year | BLP | DLP | NDP | BNP | OTHER | IND | TOTAL |
| 2003 | 23 | 7 | – | – | – | – | 30 |
| 1999 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 28 | |||
| 1994 | 19 | 8 | 1 | – | – | 0 | 28 |
| 1991 | 10 | 18 | – | – | – | 0 | 28 |
| 1986 | 3 | 24 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| 1981 | 17 | 10 | – | – | – | 0 | 27 |
| 1976 | 17 | 7 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 1971 | 6 | 18 | – | – | – | 0 | 24 |
| 1966 | 8 | 14 | – | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 1961 | 5 | 14 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 24 |
| 1956 | 15 | 4 | – | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
BLP
1976 – 1985 Tom Adams/ Harold Bernard St. John (Prime Minister)
1985 – 1986 Harold Bernard St. John (Prime Minister)
1994 – Present Owen Arthur (Prime Minister)
DLP
1961 – 1966 Errol W. Barrow (Premier)
1966 – 1971 Errol W. Barrow (Prime Minister)
1991 – 1976 Errol W. Barrow (Prime Minister)
1986 – 1991 Errol W. Barrow / Erskine Sandiford (Prime Minister)
1991 – 1994 Erskine Sandiford (Prime Minister)