Chamber:
	House of Assembly
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	20 January 1999
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for the seats of the House of Assembly following the premature dissolution of this body. Previous elections had been held in September 1994.
Background and outcome of elections:
	In the 1999 elections, the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) of Prime Minister Owen Arthur was once again mainly opposed by the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) headed by Mr.David Thompson. During the brief election campaign, the BLP pointed to its solid performance in the economic sector which had led to steady growth (especially in the key tourism industry) and a sharp drop in unemployment since the party had come to power in 1994. The opposition countered by focusing on the crime rate and drug-related violence. Other issues debated concerned family values and Mr. Arthur's push for a regional political union designed to give the eastern Caribbean a greater role in global trade. On polling day, the electorate showed its approval of the government's impressive record by giving it 26 of the 28 House seats - a gain of seven. The DLP, for its part, lost six seats, including that of former Prime Minister Erskine Sandiford. On 25 January, a new 15-member Cabinet headed by the popular Mr. Arthur was sworn in.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (20 January 1999): Elections results
Number of registered electors	203 621
Voters	128 484 (63 %)

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	Votes	%
Barbados Labour Party (BLP)	83 085	65.00
Democratic Labour Party (DLP)	44 974	35.00

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	Gain/Loss
Barbados Labour Party (BLP)	26	+7
Democratic Labour Party (DLP)	2	-6

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	25
Women:	3
Percent of women:	10.71