Barbadians go to the polls today in a General Election that will determine which party will form the next government.
It was all hands on deck and all systems go, according to Chief Electoral Officer Sherland Turton who said yesterday the Electoral and Boundaries Commission was fully prepared.
She said it in three words: “We are ready.”
Following revisions to the register of electors, 271 205 people are deemed eligible to cast their ballots.
Chief Electoral Officer Sherland Turton has confirmed that 271 205 people have been registered to vote in tomorrow’s General Election, following the close of claims and objections last Friday.
She made the disclosure at the Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (EBC) offices at Warrens Tower II, St Michael, yesterday.
In the 2022 General Election, it was reported that just over 266 000 people were eligible to vote.
Turton acknowledged that a significant number of amendments had been made during the revision period, as eligible voters came forward to correct omissions, update addresses and resolve other discrepancies.
Three vehicles were involved in an accident at Lancaster, St James, earlier today.
A number of people were being treated at the scene as emergency personnel responded.
A police car was also on fire not far from the collision.
More details as they come. (Nation News)
Chris Gayle, the West Indies legend, has been described as the “best T20 batter ever” by former England player, Jos Buttler. The former captain and wicket-keeper spoked of Gayle’s magnificence on Tuesday, the day before West Indies are due to meet England in their second match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The England team will include Bajans Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell, as they clash at the Wankhede in Mumbai.
It was ten years ago when Buttler witnessed first-hand Gayle’s unmatched power-hitting as the towering opener destroyed England’s bowlers at the same ground. In that match he blasted 11 towering sixes in a record score of 100 not out off just 48 balls as the Windies won by six wickets. It was his second T20 World Cup century – the other was 117 against South Africa in Johannesburg in the first match of the inaugural World Cup in 2007. West Indies would later meet England again in the final, which they won in the most sensational finale in the game’s history.
“I do remember. I had a good view for that. I actually think Moeen (Ali) bowled an unbelievable spell of bowling at him and then he decided to hit the last three balls he faced off Mo for three sixes so – Chris Gayle is the best T20 batter there’s ever been so yeah ten years ago, hopefully the result can be different tomorrow night,” Buttler told a media conference at the ground.
The match will be played tonight under lights. Play is due to start at 7pm local time (9:30am Barbados Time). Going into the contest West Indies leave the group with two points (net run rate +1.75) from their win last Saturday against Scotland at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. England also have two points (net run rate +0.20) from their close win over Nepal.
At 75 years old, Roseta Bradshaw has known far more loss than most people could ever imagine. In just two years, she has buried a daughter, two siblings and now faces the task of laying her 49-year-old son Timothy Anderson Trotman to rest – a man she described as “a hustler, but a good boy who didn’t like trouble”.
Timothy was stabbed to death last December 22 while selling breadfruit at the side of the road at Review Road, Bush Hall, St Michael.
A 17-year-old boy appeared in court early last month charged with his murder.
Since his passing, the grieving mother said she had been struggling to raise funds for the funeral, priced at
$7 165, the cheapest she could find.
“That is the cheapest the undertaker can bury him for – without any obituary, without any floral arrangement, without any church service and without any viewing,” she cried.
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Organisers of Girlfriends Expo yesterday issued an apology after a scuffle marred the event on Sunday at Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort in St Philip.
Two widely-circulated videos showed a clash involving kicks and punches, and fighting across the floor amid efforts to separate the warring parties.
In one clip, a woman is seen lying on the floor in the clutches of another attacking her. After the two were separated, the woman on the floor stood up to reveal her face covered in blood.
The two-day expo saw scores of patrons flocking to experience this year’s casino-inspired Monte Carlo theme. In a statement issued on its official website, organisers apologised to patrons, vendors, sponsors and supporters who were affected and disturbed by the incident.
“For 17 years, Girlfriends Expo has proudly served as a safe, inclusive space dedicated to empowering, educating and entertaining women in a fun-loving and supportive environment. Throughout our history, the event has been incident-free, and the safety and well-being of our patrons, vendors, partners and staff have always been our highest priority.
“We regret to confirm that an isolated incident occurred at our most recent event involving a dispute among family members and friends, all of whom were women. While this situation was not reflective of the values or atmosphere we work diligently to maintain, we acknowledge the concern and inconvenience it may have caused,” the statement read.
The organisers said they will implement added security to ensure an incident-free environment in future editions.
“We understand the importance of maintaining a welcoming and secure environment, and we take this matter seriously.
“Appropriate steps were taken to address the situation promptly, and we are reviewing additional measures to further ensure the comfort and safety of everyone attending future Girlfriends Expo events,” organisers said.
Barbados Labour Party candidate for St Michael North West, Neil Rowe, has appealed to his constituents to look past any perceived shortcomings in his representation and to re-elect him to continue to work on their behalf.
Rowe, who is making a bid for a third term, said: “Tonight I stand before you to present my report card on the developments across this blessed constituency of St Michael North West,” he told supporters during a political meeting at Deacons Farm Thursday night.
“I wish to remind you that despite all of the adversities that I had to endure during my second term, please be reminded that I have never stopped working for the good people of St Michael North West and there are not many men who have the mental, physical and spiritual strength to endure all that I had to endure and remain committed to the good people of St Michael North West.”
In January, 2025, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced to the nation that a decision had been taken to rescind Rowe’s appointment as Deputy Speaker, a decision she said was taken “so that Parliament could be removed from being embroiled in a member’s private issues.”
Rowe was then fighting a rape accusation in the law courts and was subsequently acquitted of the rape charge and later re-appointed Deputy Speaker.
“I want to assure the people tonight that when I am re-elected I will beg and ask the Prime Minister kindly to put the finances in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Community Development to renovate that centre and I want to rename it after the late Lawson Weekes and the late Mark Williams,” Rowe said. (GC)
A fisherman who appeared in the Oistins Magistrates’ Court this morning, pleaded guilty to using a cellular phone to send an electronic communication that was menacing in character and caused, or was reckless as to whether it would cause annoyance, distress or anxiety to Wilfred Abrahams.
Akeem Renaldo Durant, 27, of Breedy’s Land, Christ Church, admitted to Chief Magistrate Deidre McKenna that he committed the offence on February 9.
According to the facts which Station Sergeant Vernon Waithe outlined, the complainant made a report to police that on February 9 a number of persons alerted him about a video showing money inside an envelope from his constituency office, purporting that he paid out money for the general election. When the Member of Parliament saw the video, it caused him anxiety and stress.
Investigations led to Durant, whose name and address appeared on the front of the envelope, a stamped election circular. He was arrested earlier today at his home.
During a police interview later, he took responsibility and stated that he only recorded the video, “making sport with his friends”. He added that at the end of the video, he had stated “Thank you Mr Wilfred Abrahams, you made you made me a rich man.”
He was granted bail of $1 000 and the matter adjourned until February 16 when he is expected to be sentenced. (SD)
Friends of Democracy (FOD) candidates have called for sweeping changes to Barbados’ approach to crime, housing and governance, including the reintroduction of capital and corporal punishment, as the party outlined key elements of its platform at a National Rally in Whitehall, St Michael, on Thursday night.
The proposals were advanced by FOD candidate for St Michael North, Ricardo Harrison, who said escalating crime – particularly among the youth – required what he described as serious and decisive action.
“The issue of crime continues to be a bugbear in Barbados. We dance around it, and we look out for the criminal element, but there is nothing in place for the victim. We are saying here that the only way to get this crime wrestled to the ground is to get serious about it.”
Referring to statements previously made by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Harrison said that for heinous crimes such as murder, “those found guilty should be given the death penalty”. He noted that the impact of violent crime extended far beyond the individual act.
“Nobody ever gives thought that when you kill a young person, a mother, a child, an entire family grieves. We are saying that, as the Friends of Democracy, let us reintroduce capital punishment. If you
don’t want the gallows, which last swung in 1984, then use the electric chair or the gas chamber.”
Harrison also called for the return of corporal punishment and hard labour, particularly for young offenders who target vulnerable citizens.
“For those youngsters who don’t want to work but like to prey on older folks, corporal punishment should be introduced. And to add to it, introduce hard labour like was done in the past,”
he said.
Turning to housing, Harrison highlighted what he described as a major manifesto pledge of the party.
“The Friends of Democracy, as one of its key manifesto promises, will give you affordable housing,” he said, outlining plans for 100 per cent mortgages for qualified applicants. He said the programme would target public officers, including “nurses, police officers, and civil servants in the salary category of $2 500 to $5 000.”
“These mortgages will be superintended and supervised by creditable agencies,” Harrison added.
Other issues raised by Harrison included public transportation, reducing Value Added Tax, reintroducing price controls on specific goods, the sewage and solid waste tax, and the importation
of firearms.
President of the Friends of Democracy, Karina Goodridge, also addressed the rally, telling supporters that “a stronger Opposition equals a stronger Barbados” and pledging that the party “will continue to fight on behalf of every citizen in this nation”.
Speaking in support of Harrison’s candidacy, Goodridge stressed the importance of accountability. “Part of good governance is accountability and transparency,” she said, questioning how citizens could have confidence in leadership “when you don’t have the accountability and transparency that you need as people?”
She criticised the Government’s handling of the budget for CARIFESTA 2025, saying, “We want to know what was spent, what was budgeted for? Furthermore, we are going into an election, and there are so many unanswered questions.”
Goodridge also argued that Barbados needed to pursue “proper investment plans” rather than overburden citizens with taxes, and suggested medical tourism as one potential revenue stream. “Why is it that tourists can’t bring foreign investment?” she asked.
Addressing health care, she called for a state-of-the-art hospital to curb brain drain, attributing ongoing challenges at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to “waste and a lot of mismanagement”, and suggesting there was “room for corruption”.
Rejecting the idea that Barbados should be limited to two political parties, Goodridge told the gathering, “It is time that we look at the representatives and strongly ask ourselves if they deserve our vote.”
She also warned that voter apathy threatened “true democracy in this country”, and outlined other proposals, including the creation of coconut water villages to support vendors in the sector.
“We have a policy to have these villages . . . like telling every individual who handles and deals with coconuts that we appreciate your service and that we want to elevate you,” she said. (WH)
Barbados Labour Party candidate for Christ Church East Wilfred Abrahams has denied any claims of stuffing election envelopes with money and sending to constituents as implied in a viral video being shared online.
The video, which made the rounds on the internet showed a man rifling through several $100 and $50 bills packed in an envelope that bore the return address of Wilfred A. Abrahams Hope Court, Hopewell Main Road, Christ Church.
A follow up video, shared earlier this morning showed the man clarifying that the video was shared in jest and that he never received an envelope stuffed with cash. “No money ain’t come in the envelope…the money I placed in here was my money…it was a joke.”
Abrahams said he reported the matter to the police and the individual was currently in police custody. The incumbent candidate condemned what he described as a harmful rhetoric that threatened to put his integrity into disrepute.
“It is not just Wilfred Abrams that this video defames, or impugns my character, because I don’t stuff envelopes. You’re also impugning the character of the volunteers here, who actually did stuff the envelopes. You’re impugning the character of the Barbados Labour Party.”
Asked if he would press charges, Abrahams said that the matter was in the hands of the police.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to speak on that but quite clearly it’s a criminal offence, and if the public of Barbados and the people of Christ Church East did not have as much faith in me, and my integrity, and the clean campaign that I am running, but that could derail my entire campaign,” he said.
He added that such claims didn’t just damage the reputation of a politicians in the country but also that of the country.
“For the first ever, in Barbados, we have election scrutineers. We have independent observers observing our election. And this foolishness comes out, a day before what do you think they will think?
“I don’t need people looking at me, when I ain’t doing nothing. So, it has been, it has been real difficult, since that came out. This could have gone horribly wrong. At least the person retracted it, but it went viral. It went, completely viral.”
