The first seat to be declared in the 2022 General Election, was fittingly that of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and after romping to victory, she led a clean sweep of St Michael and the rest of Barbados.
St Michael North East
In her eighth General Election and seventh victory, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley captured the St Michael North East riding without much effort – polling 3 216 to her nearest opponent’s 476.
Mottley’s seat was fittingly the first to be called on a day proclaimed to have a low voter turnout and it was less than her winning 4 553 performance in the 2018.
However, she demolished former senator Damien Griffith, the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) candidate who polled 476, and Roy Turney of the Bajan Free Party who managed a scant 48. Out of the 3 759 votes there were 19 spoils.
A choked up Mottley spent the next six minutes thanking her absent parents and the campaign team.
“This is my eighth election and I do not take it for granted. I really, really want to say that the people who have raised me as I came out here at the age of 23 . . . I want to say thank you. [I want to say] thank you to my parents without whom I really would not be who I am,” she stated, adding that her mother was due to undergo a medical procedure.
St Michael West
It was a lengthy wait of nearly six hours but for first-timer Christopher Gibbs, it was worth it as he emerged a comfortable winner of the St Michael West seat to make it a clean sweep once again for the Barbados Labour Party.
When returning officer Linda Phillips declared the final result, Gibbs tallied 2 434 votes; Ricardo Williams, of the Democratic Labour Party, 439; Patsy Nurse, of the Alliance Party for Progress, 439; and Victorine Wilson, of Solutions Barbados, 44.
Gibbs, who replaces former Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley as the parliamentary representative for the St Michael West constituency, spoke with the media shortly after he was declared the winner.
“[I am] excited and exhausted at the same time. We worked hard. It has practically been a 24-hour day for us since we were up from three in the morning and it is now three in the morning again,” he said.
“But the team did a great job. We came together and despite our challenges, obviously being a first-time candidate, we would have some growing pains, but we did well, obviously from the results.
“I would like to thank the constituents. I would like to thank the team,” he added.
Gibbs said he recognised that the real work would now start.
St Michael Central
Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate Arthur Holder has been returned as the Member of Parliament for St Michael Central, in the process turning back the challenge of former Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley.
The former Speaker of the House of Assembly amassed 2 014 votes, brushing aside his closest rival, Democratic Labour Party (DLP) newcomer Courie Cox by 1 544 votes.
Many pundits had designated this race as one to watch due to the entrance of Atherley, who in a surprise move switched from St Michael West to St Michael Central under the banner of the coalition Alliance Party for Progress (APP). Atherley was only able to manage 267 votes while Solutions Barbados candidate Robert Toussaint mustered 18.