The Governor-General of Barbados was the representative of Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Barbadian monarch from independence in 1966 until the establishment of a republic in 2021. Under the government's Table of Precedence for Barbados, the governor-general of Barbados was regarded as being the most important of all personnel of the Barbados government.[2]
| Governor-General of Barbados | |
|---|---|
.svg) Coat of arms of Barbados | |
 | |
| Style | His/Her Excellency |
| Residence | Government House, Barbados |
| Appointer | Monarch of Barbados |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Formation | 30 November 1966 |
| First holder | Sir John Montague Stow |
| Final holder | Dame Sandra Mason |
| Abolished | 30 November 2021 |
| Salary | 220,998 BBD annually[1] |
The office was accorded legitimacy by Chapter IV of the Constitution of Barbados.[3] The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of Barbados.[4][5] The governor-general exercises executive powers and who assents to bills in the monarch's name before they can become promulgated into law.[6] The Barbados constitution limited the powers of the governor-general (known as a constitutional monarchy system of governance).[7] This effectively limited the powers of the Queen, as it did the governor-general, who, in most instances, exercised authority on the advice of the prime minister or other persons or bodies within Barbados, much like the president of Barbados at present.[8]
The office of the Governor-General was established when Barbados gained independence in 1966. Since the colonisation of Barbados by the British, Barbados has had 68 Governors and subsequently 8 Governors-General. On 30 November 2021, Barbados became a republic and the office of Governor-General was abolished.
Duties
The Queen, on the advice of the prime minister, appointed a Governor-General to be her viceregal representative in Barbados.[9][10] Both the queen and the governor-general held much power in the country, though it was rarely used unilaterally; it was usually only used in such a way in emergencies and in some cases war.[11]
The Governor-General represented the Queen on ceremonial occasions such as the opening of parliament and the presentation of honours and military parades. Under the constitution, the Governor-General was given authority to act in some matters; for example, in appointing and disciplining officers of the civil service,[12] granting "any person convicted of any offence against the laws of Barbados a pardon",[13] and in proroguing parliament. But, in only a few cases was the Governor-General empowered to act entirely on his/her own discretion, often requiring the countersignature of the prime minister to exercise their powers.
The Governor-General of Barbados also chaired the Privy Council of Barbados.
List of Governors-General of Barbados
On 30 November 1966, Barbados gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Symbols
- ^† Died in office.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Sir John Montague Stow (1911–1997) |
30 November 1966 |
18 May 1967 |
169 days | Elizabeth II (1966–2021) | |
| 2 | Sir Arleigh Winston Scott (1900–1976) |
18 May 1967 |
9 August 1976[†] |
9 years,
82 days | ||
| – | Sir William Douglas (1921–2003) Acting Governor-General |
9 August 1976 |
17 November 1976 |
100 days | ||
| 3 | Sir Deighton Lisle Ward (1909–1984) |
17 November 1976 |
9 January 1984[†] |
7 years,
53 days | ||
| – | Sir William Douglas (1921–2003) Acting Governor-General |
10 January 1984 |
24 February 1984 |
45 days | ||
| 4 | Sir Hugh Springer (1913–1994) |
24 February 1984 |
6 June 1990 |
6 years,
104 days | ||
| 5 | Dame Nita Barrow (1916–1995) |
6 June 1990 |
19 December 1995[†] |
5 years,
195 days | ||
| – | Sir Denys Williams (1929–2014) Acting Governor-General |
19 December 1995 |
1 June 1996 |
165 days | ||
| 6 | Sir Clifford Husbands (1926–2017) |
1 June 1996 |
31 October 2011 |
15 years,
151 days | ||
| – | .jpg)
|
Sir Elliott Belgrave (b. 1931) Acting Governor-General |
1 November 2011 |
30 May 2012 |
211 days | |
| – | 
|
Dame Sandra Mason (b. 1949) Acting Governor-General |
30 May 2012 |
1 June 2012 |
2 days | |
| 7 |
|
Sir Elliott Belgrave (b. 1931) |
1 June 2012 |
30 June 2017 |
5 years,
29 days | |
| – | Sir Philip Greaves (b. 1931) Acting Governor-General |
1 July 2017 |
8 January 2018 |
191 days | ||
| 8 |
|
Dame Sandra Mason (b. 1949) |
8 January 2018 |
30 November 2021 |
3 years, 326 days | |
| End | ||||||
For a list of heads of state after the establishment of the Republic, see List of Presidents of Barbados
Official oath of office
According to the First Schedule section of the Constitution of Barbados, the official Oath of office for the Governor-General of Barbados is as follows:
I, _________________________, do swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Her Heirs and Successors, in the office of Governor-General. So help me God.
Future
The monarchy of Barbados and the governor-general's position was abolished and the Queen of Barbados was replaced with a ceremonial president, akin to that of the president of Trinidad and Tobago.[14] Incumbent Governor-General, Dame Sandra Mason was elected President on 20 October 2021 and was inaugurated as President on 30 November 2021.
See also
- Government House, the official residence of the Governor-General, now the official residence of the President of Barbados
- Order of Barbados
- List of governors of Barbados
- Governor-General of the West Indies Federation
- List of prime ministers of Barbados
- List of current vice-regal representatives of Elizabeth II
References
- ^ Government Printing Department. "SCHEDULES OF PERSONAL EMOLUMENTS 2016 – 2017" (PDF). barbadosparliament.com.
- ^ Table of Precedence for Barbados - July, 2008
- ^ Constitution, Chapter IV
- ^ Constitution, Chapter IV, Section 28(1)
- ^ Constitution, Chapter IV, Section 32
- ^ Constitution, Chapter V, Section 58(1)
- ^ Constitution, Chapter IV, Section 32
- ^ Constitution, Chapter IV, Section 32
- ^ "Queen's role in Barbados". The Monarchy Today: Queen and State. The Barbadian Monarchy. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ Constitution, Chapter VI, Part 1; Section 28
- ^ Constitution, Chapter III, Part 15; Section 25(1)(a)
- ^ The role of GG is not just ceremonial, says Arthur
- ^ Constitution, Chapter VI, Part 2; Section 78(1)(a)
- ^ Madden, Marlon, ed. (17 September 2020). "Wickham predicts Barbados' republic model to mirror Trinidad's". Top Featured Article. Barbados Today. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
As Barbados prepares to ditch the Queen as its Head of State and become a republic, a prominent political scientist is predicting that Prime Minister Mia Mottley will follow the Trinidad and Tobago model. What's more, Peter Wickham has shot down any idea of the Barbados Labour Party administration holding a referendum on the matter, saying that to do so would be a "mistake". "There is no need to and I don't think it makes a lot of sense. We had a situation where since 1999 this [political party] indicated its desire to go in the direction of a republic. The Opposition has always supported it.... So, I think there is enough cohesion in that regard to go with it," he said.
External links
- About Queen Elizabeth II and her role in Barbados - Royal.uk
- Governor General of Barbados, Our Nation, Government of Barbados