At stake in this election:

• 30 seats in the House of Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Freundel STUART
• Assembly: Barbados has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 21 seats and the House of Assembly with 30 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor General Sir Eliot BELGRAVE.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is hereditary head of state.
• In the Senate 21 members are appointed by the governor-general. In the House of Assembly 30 members are elected by direct vote to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Barbados Labor Party (BLP)
  Leader: Owen Seymour ARTHUR
  Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 10
• Party: Democratic Labor Party (DLP)
  Leader: Freundel STUART
  Seats won in last House of Assembly election: 20

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 287,733 (December 2012 est.)
• Registered Voters: 235,510 (January 2008 )