00:00Welcome back. In Barbados, the general election campaign for February 11th is one week away from beginning.
00:06More details from our correspondent, Krista Hoyt.
00:11Barbados' February 11th general election campaign is a week away,
00:16as Prime Minister Mia Amor Motley seats a historic third consecutive term
00:21against a fractured opposition that has failed to win a single parliamentary seat in eight years.
00:28Almost 100 candidates from nine parties signed up for the poll
00:32that comes one year ahead of the constitutional deadline.
00:37The Barbados Liberal Party swept all 30 seats in both 2018 and 2022 elections,
00:43leaving Barbados with a one-party parliament.
00:46Democratic Liberal Party leader Ralph Thorn, a BLP deflector who crossed the floor in 2024,
00:52has called for a postponement of the election over concerns about the voters' list.
00:58Prime Minister Amor Motley rejected calls for postponement.
01:01You can go on ebc.gov.bb.
01:05You can even come on our website, blp.org.bb.
01:09You put in your number, and it is as easy as, let me put in mine and show you.
01:16I pulled up the site, put in my number, and immediately press the arrow,
01:22and my name comes up, my polling district comes up, I'm in St Michael North,
01:26where I have to vote, all of that comes up.
01:29But this notion that this is a partisan political,
01:32Mr Thorne has been making these wild allegations since last year.
01:36And in the by-election last year, I told him to bring the evidence, put up or shut up.
01:41And I remain convinced that there is no evidence that has been brought
01:46to cause me to believe that there's anything untoward about our system.
01:51Acting Chief Electoral Officer Sherlyn Turton defended the electoral process.
01:56We are statutorily obligated to publish a list by the 31st of January each year,
02:05and that would have already been done.
02:08Additionally, last year, we opened 14 centers from the 27th of October to the 14th of November,
02:18where persons were, again, afforded the opportunity to go in duteless,
02:24make any claims or submissions which they might have had with respect to whether they were on or off
02:31and where they were to let us know so that the necessary amendments could be made.
02:36Opposition parties include the Democratic Labour Party, New National Party,
02:42Conservative Barbados Leadership Party, and United Progressive Party
02:45forming the People's Collision for Progress.
02:48Reform Barbados, Friends of Democracy and Solutions Barbados
02:52also fielded candidates along with the Beijing Free Movement Party.
02:57Political analysts described the DLP as being in fundamental disrepair,
03:01noting the election will determine whether the Barbados Labour Party
03:04can achieve an unprecedented third consecutive clean sweep.
03:09Crystal Hoyt, Tallisir, Bridgetown, Barbados.
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