UPDATE 3-Barbados PM Mia Mottley wins third term as BLP sweeps every seat in election

"The people have spoken, and we respect their voices," the opposition Democratic Labour Party said. Thorne did not cast a ballot because he was not ⁠registered in the district where he was living and competing, according to state TV network CBC.

Barbados Prime ‌Minister ​Mia Mottley won a historic third election victory, with her Barbados Labour Party sweeping all seats of the island nation's House of Assembly, as counting ended early Thursday. Mottley's BLP won all 30 seats for the ‌third time, unseating opposition leader Ralph Thorne, who ran for the BLP in the last campaign, in an election that pitted her more global-facing approach against the opposition's focus on Barbadians' domestic needs.

"Our mission first and foremost is to stop poor people from being poor and to remove injustice wherever it ‌exists to create opportunities for people," Mottley, 60, said in a victory speech. She is the second leader to serve more than two consecutive terms. 'MAKE ‌YOUR LIVES BETTER'

Surrounded by supporters dressed in red, she pledged to strengthen efforts on issues such as infrastructure, healthcare and road safety. "We do not turn our eyes away from the things that ordinary Bajans want us to redouble our efforts on," she said. "We did not come simply to hold office. We have come to make Barbados better and to ⁠make your ​lives better."

Friday will be a public ⁠holiday in Barbados, she added. "The people have spoken, and we respect their voices," the opposition Democratic Labour Party said.

Thorne did not cast a ballot because he was not ⁠registered in the district where he was living and competing, according to state TV network CBC. He was elected there in 2022 as a member of the BLP ​but moved to the DLP in 2024. The head of the Caribbean Community's electoral observation mission said before the election it had ⁠received concerns about inaccuracies on the voting register.

Some opposition candidates said this would justify a delay in the vote, but the electoral commission said citizens had time to address inaccuracies and ⁠the ​process was legitimate. The BLP was expected to win comfortably, with a mid-January poll commissioned by Barbados' The Nation Publishing and Starcom Network showing more support for the ruling party compared to the last election, though many of those surveyed were undecided or did not plan to vote. An ⁠official turnout was not available by early afternoon. In the prior 2022 general election, turnout landed below 50%, according to the International Foundation for ⁠Electoral Systems.

Barbados is the Caribbean's easternmost ⁠country, home to around 283,000 people and a little over half the size of Singapore. "The United States looks forward to continuing our strong partnership with Barbados' elected representatives," U.S. Barbados Country Officer Derek Hoffmann said in a ‌video message.

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