_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Hugh SPRINGER (since 24 February 1984);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD;
Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry FORDE;
National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
House of Assembly—last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996); results—DLP 49.8%; seats—(28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
_#_Communists: negligible