Electoral System

The 27 members of the House of Assembly were elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting. There was no fixed election date in effect in Barbados at this time; hence, the choice of election date is the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

Background

On 6 May 1986, the Governor-General issued a proclamation dissolving Parliament and issued Writs appointing 13 May 1986 as Nominated Day and Wednesday, 28 May 1986 as Election Day. The general election was held three months before they were due under the Constitution.

There were 176,739 registered electors, 81,805 males and 94,934 females.

Political Parties & Candidates

As in the past, primary contenders in the 1986 poll were the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP), headed by outgoing Prime Minister Bernard St. John, and the opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP), led by Errol Barrow.  The two parties differed slightly on domestic policies, but shared similar pro-Western foreign policies.  The DLP had pledged to reduce government spending, income tax and utility and petrol prices.

A total of 63 candidates from three political parties contested the election. The BLP and DLP both presented a full slate of 27 candiates. The Workers Party of Barbados (WPB) presented two candidates. There were also four independent candidates.

Results

On polling day, the socialist DLP won a landslide victory, gaining 24 of the 27 House of Assembly seats.  The win ended a decade of rule by the more conservative BLP and marked the return to office of Barrow, who had previously been Prime Minister from 1961 to 1976.

St. John of the Barbados Labor Party lost his own seat to Robert Morris of the Democratic Labor Party. Deputy Prime Minister Lionel Craig, who switched districts from the safe seat he had won in the last three elections, was defeated in a confrontation with Erskine Sandiford, Barrow's deputy.

Errol Barrow was sworn in on 29 May 1986 and announced his Cabinet on 3 June 1986.

Voter Turnout

Voter turnout was 76.70%.

Post-Election

Following the May 1986 general elections, Prime Minister Errol Barrow died on 1 June 1987 and was succeeded by his Deputy Erskine Sandiford was became the Fourth Prime Minister of Barbados. Sandiford pledged to continue Barrow’s economic and social policies, particularly tax reforms. 

In February 1989, four DLP members left the party to form a new one known as the National Democratic Party (NDP); Richard Haynes, its head, was subsequently appointed as leader of the parliamentary opposition.