16 Government of Barbados

The Government of Barbados (GoB), is ceremonially headed by the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. She is represented in the country by the Governor-General, currently Dame Sandra Mason, G.C.M.G., K.A.

The Cabinet, formally Her Majesty’s Barbados Ministers, are individuals of Barbados which execute the duties of the Government of Barbados.

Constituency Councils are the most local statutory representative bodies today in Barbados.

The Constitution of Barbados is the supreme law under which Barbados is governed. The Constitution provides a legal establishment of the structure and various roles of administration of the Queen of Barbados, the Government of Barbados, as well as legal rights and responsibilities of the public and various other government officers. The Constitution which came into force in 1966 was amended in 1974, 1978, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2002, and 2003. The 1966 document succeeds several other documents concerning administration of Barbados. One of them, the Barbados Charter, is discussed in the present Constitution's Preamble. Prior statutes were created for the administration of Barbados as a colony. As a former English and later British colony, the Constitution is similar to those of other Commonwealth realms, yet distinctly different in the spirit of the Statute of Westminster. In recent years there has been some dialogue on whether Barbados should undertake a process of patriating the constitution to cease the foundation being a 1966 Act of the British House of Commons.

The House of Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. It has 30 Members of Parliament (MPs), who are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority system for a term of five years. The House of Assembly sits roughly 40–45 days a year.

The Judiciary of Barbados is an independent branch of the Barbadian government, subject only to the Barbadian Constitution. It is headed by the Chief Justice of Barbados. Barbados is a common law jurisdiction, in which precedents from English law and British Commonwealth tradition may be taken into account.

HMBS Leonard C Banfield is patrol vessel of the Barbados Coast Guard. She was commissioned on 14 September 2007. She is built to the design of the Damen Group's Stan 4207 patrol vessel, a class of 42-metre (138 ft) 240 ton vessels.

This is a list of the heads of state of Barbados, from the independence of Barbados in 1966 to the present day.

The Monarchy of Barbados is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Barbados. The current Barbadian monarch and head of state, since the independence of Barbados on 30 November 1966, is Queen Elizabeth II. As the sovereign, she is the personal embodiment of the Barbadian Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 15 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled Queen of Barbados and, in this capacity, she and other members of the Royal Family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of the Barbadian state. However, the Queen is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role. The Queen lives in the United Kingdom and, while several powers are the sovereign's alone, most of the royal governmental and ceremonial duties in Barbados are carried out by the Queen's representative, the governor-general.

A Barbados passport is a travel document issued to citizens of Barbados, in accordance with Citizenship Act from 1978, the Immigration Act from 1997, and the Barbados Constitution, for the purpose of facilitating international travel. It allows the bearer to travel in foreign countries and the Commonwealth of Nations, in accordance with visa requirements, and facilitates the process of securing assistance from Barbados consular officials abroad, if necessary.

The politics of Barbados function within a framework of constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.

The Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), as established under the Police Act, of 1961(a), and the Constitution of Barbados is a part of the government responsible for local law enforcement. Tyrone Griffith is currently Commissioner of the Police. The RBPF is divided into five operational divisions, namely, the Northern Division, Southern Division, Bridgetown Division, Criminal Investigations Division and Operations Support Division. These are supported by the Administrative Services Division The organisational structure of the RBPF is modelled after London's Metropolitan Police Service.

The Senate is the Upper House of the bicameral legislature the Parliament of Barbados. The Senate is accorded legitimacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. It is the smallest of the two chambers and also includes Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados. The Senate was established in 1964 to replace a prior body known as the Legislative Council. Besides creating and reviewing Barbadian legislation, the Senate generally reviews approved legislation originating from the House of Assembly. One main constraint on the Senate is that it cannot author monetary or budget-related bills. Most of the non-political appointees to the Senate have been selected by the Governor General from civil society organisations, labour collectives and public associations in Barbados.

Speaker of the House of Assembly of Barbados is the presiding officer of House of Assembly of Barbados.

The statutory boards of the Barbados Government are organisations that have been given authority to perform certain functions in society. They usually report to one specific ministry.Accreditation Council, The Archives Advisory Committee, The Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) Barbados Bar Association Barbados Museum & Historical Society (BMHS) Council Barbados Port Incorporated (BPI) Barbados Water Authority (BWA) Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Commission for Pan-African Affairs, The (CPAA) - Established 28 November 1998 Film Censorship Board, The National Advisory Commission on Education, The National Assistance Board, The National Cultural Foundation (NCF), The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), The Rural Development Commission (RDC) Securities Commission, The Town and Country Planning Urban Development Commission (UDC)

The Supreme Court of Judicature of Barbados is the highest judicial body in the country of Barbados. It is made up of the High Court and the Court of Appeals.