ars
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

6.9% of GDP (2005)

Government
Barbados

Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew,
Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy,
Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas

Independence:

30 November 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution:

30 November 1966

Legal system:

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS
(since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January
2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister
recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members
appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime
Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his
discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected
by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be
called in 2013)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP
52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service
Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of
Justice is the highest court of appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or
DLP [David THOMPSON]; P