Prime Minister Mia Mottley's Barbados Labour Party (BLP) once again swept all 30 seats in the House of Assembly at elections held in January 2022. These were 18 months earlier than constitutionally required. On 20 January, Ms. Mottley was sworn in for a second consecutive term.

The 2022 elections were the first to be held after the country became a republic through constitutional amendments in October 2021 (see note). The BLP ran on the Government’s record, stating the economy was recovering despite damage to the tourism industry from the COVID-19 pandemic. Opposition leaders had criticized Prime Minister Mottley for holding the election amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to official figures, some 5,500 people were in isolation in a country of around 300,000 inhabitants.

Note:
In September 2020, the Government announced a plan to transform the country into a republic. On 6 October 2021, Parliament unanimously adopted the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, which, among others, stipulates that the Governor General will be replaced by the President of the Republic. On 12 October 2021, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition jointly nominated Dame Sandra Mason (Barbados’ Governor General since 2018) for the post. On 20 October, a joint session of the House of Assembly and the Senate elected her as the first President of Barbados. She was officially sworn in on 30 November 2021, the country’s 55th anniversary of independence from the United Kingdom.
Consequently, 7 of the 21 senators have been appointed by the President of the Republic (instead of the Governor General). The Prime Minister continues to appoint 12 senators and the Leader of the Opposition appoints two.
The Senate is renewed after each general election to the House of Assembly. The term of each parliament remains at five years. On 24 January 2022, the Prime Minister appointed 11 senators, including Senate President Mr. Reginald Farley (who had succeeded Sir Richard in September 2020). She also announced her intention to ask the Cabinet and Parliament to bring a constitutional amendment to lower the minimum age at which one can serve in the Senate from 21 to 18, adding that Mr. Khaleel Kothdiwala (an 18-year-old university student) should be able to become a Senator.