Democratic Labour Party (Barbados) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Democratic Labour Party
Abbreviation	DLP
Leader	Ralph Thorne
President	Andre Worrell
Founded	Errol Walton Barrow, 27 April 1955
Split from	Barbados Labour Party
Headquarters	George Street, Belleville, St. Michael
Ideology	Social democracy Republicanism
Political position	Centre-left
International affiliation	West Indies Democratic Labour Party (1957–1961)
House of Assembly	1 / 30
Senate	2 / 21
Website
www.dlpbds.org

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP), often called the "Dems", is a political party in Barbados. It was started in 1955. A political party is a group of people who share similar ideas about how a country should be run. They work together to win elections and form a government.

The DLP was the main party in charge of Barbados from 2008 to 2018. However, in the 2018 election, they lost all their seats in Parliament. This meant they had no Members of Parliament (MPs) representing them.

Like the other main party in Barbados, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the DLP is generally seen as a "centre-left" party. This means they believe in ideas like social fairness and helping all people in society. In Barbados, politics often depends a lot on the leaders and what is happening in the country at the time, especially with the economy. The BLP started earlier and was influenced by British ideas. The DLP was formed 11 years later by people who wanted a party that focused more on social issues.

History of the DLP

The DLP was founded in 1955. It was started by Errol Barrow, James Cameron Tudor, Frederick "Sleepy" Smith, and 26 other people. These 29 individuals used to be members of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). They decided to leave and create the DLP because they wanted a party with slightly different ideas, leaning more towards social programs.

Even though they had different ideas, the DLP and BLP are still quite similar because they came from the same beginnings.

Early Elections and First Government

In the 1956 election, the DLP received about 20% of the votes. They won four seats in the Parliament. In the next election, the 1961 election, the DLP got fewer votes than the BLP. However, they won more seats in Parliament. This meant that Errol Barrow became the Premier, which was the leader of the government at that time.

The party won again in the 1966 election. After this victory, Errol Barrow became the country's first Prime Minister. The DLP won a third election in a row in 1971. But they lost power to the BLP in 1976.

Return to Power and Recent Years

The DLP stayed in opposition until they won the 1986 election. They had a big win, taking 24 out of 27 seats. The DLP remained in power after the 1991 election. However, they were defeated by the BLP in 1994.

The DLP returned to power again in the 2008 election. At that time, David Thompson was the leader of the DLP, and he became Prime Minister. After he passed away in 2010, Freundel Stuart took over as Prime Minister. He led the party to a close victory in the 2013 election.

The 2018 election was a very tough one for the DLP. They lost all their Members of Parliament. After this, Freundel Stuart stepped down as leader. On August 1, 2018, Verla De Peiza became the new leader and president of the DLP. She was the only person running for the position.

After the 2022 election, where the DLP did not win any seats, Verla De Peiza resigned on January 21, 2022. Later, Ronnie Yearwood was elected as the DLP president on May 1, 2022.

In February 2024, Ralph Thorne, who was a Member of Parliament for the Barbados Labour Party, left his party. He then became the Leader of the Opposition. Soon after, he joined the DLP and became the party's leader. This made Ralph Thorne the first DLP Member of Parliament since 2018. Ronnie Yearwood remained president of the party until August 24, 2024. On that date, he and Secretary General Steve Blackett were removed from the party after a disagreement that lasted for several months.

How the DLP Has Done in Elections

This section shows how the Democratic Labour Party has performed in past elections for the House of Assembly and the West Indies.

House of Assembly Elections

The House of Assembly is like the main law-making body in Barbados.

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Result
1956	Errol Barrow	19,650	19.9%	4 / 24	4	2nd	Opposition
1961		39,534	36.3%	15 / 24	11	1st	Majority government
1966		72,384	49.6%	14 / 24	1	1st	Majority government
1971		53,295	57.4%	18 / 24	4	1st	Supermajority government
1976		45,786	46.4%	7 / 24	11	2nd	Opposition
1981		55,845	47.1%	10 / 27	3	2nd	Opposition
1986		80,050	59.4%	24 / 27	14	1st	Supermajority government
1991	Erskine Sandiford	59,900	49.8%	18 / 28	6	1st	Majority government
1994	David Thompson	47,979	38.8%	8 / 28	10	2nd	Opposition
1999		45,118	35.1%	2 / 28	6	2nd	Opposition
2003	Clyde Mascoll	54,746	44.2%	7 / 30	5	2nd	Opposition
2008	David Thompson	70,135	53.2%	20 / 30	13	1st	Supermajority government
2013	Freundel Stuart	78,851	51.3%	16 / 30	4	1st	Majority government
2018		33,551	21.8%	0 / 30	16	2nd	Extra-parliamentary
2022	Verla De Peiza	30,273	26.55%	0 / 30		2nd	Extra-parliamentary

West Indies Election

The West Indies Federation was a group of Caribbean islands that tried to form one country for a short time.

See also

In Spanish: Partido Democrático Laborista (Barbados) para niños