Barbadians will go to the polls on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to elect a new government, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced, formally setting the stage for a general election months ahead of the constitutional deadline.
The announcement was made at a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) nomination meeting at Westbury Primary School on Saturday, where attorney-at-law Michael Lashley, KC, was confirmed as the party’s candidate for the City. With his nomination, the ruling BLP has now completed its slate of candidates for all 30 seats in the House of Assembly.
Parliament will be dissolved to trigger the election campaign, with Nomination Day scheduled for January 27. Parliament will be dissolved on January 19.
The decision brings forward an election that was not constitutionally due until 2027 and follows months of speculation after Mottley hinted late last year that an early poll was likely. At the time, she urged BLP supporters to prepare for political work in 2026, signalling that the party would not wait until the final year of its mandate.
“Whilst there is work to be done, there is work for the Barbados Labour Party and its soldiers to do, and we are all turning up for work in 2026,” Mottley said in December. “We are all turning up for work in 2026, because if something can be done, it is this Barbados Labour Party that will do it, always, always, always.”
She also warned supporters to rest up ahead of what she described as an intense period of mobilisation. “When I start to call on you, I don’t want you to tell me that you are tired,” she said, drawing loud applause. “I want you to tell me only, ‘Prime Minister, we are ready. We are red and ready.’”
Mottley has repeatedly pointed to Barbados’ recent economic performance as justification for seeking a renewed mandate, while acknowledging that challenges remain. She has highlighted 17 consecutive quarters of economic growth, record-low unemployment, and historically high foreign reserves as signs of national recovery.
“We have seen it come from the economic doldrums,” she said. “We no longer go to sleep worrying about foreign reserves; our foreign reserves are the highest they’ve ever been.”
The upcoming vote will mark the second consecutive time Mottley has dissolved Parliament with a year remaining in her term. She led the BLP to historic 30–0 landslide victories in both the 2018 and 2022 general elections, leaving the opposition without a single seat in the House of Assembly.
With the election date now set, political activity is expected to intensify across the island as parties make their case to voters ahead of the February 11 poll.
