The House Barbados

The bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and Senate. The 30 members of the House are elected by universal suffrage to 5-year terms. Elections may be called at any time the government wishes to seek a new mandate or if the government suffers a vote of no-confidence in Parliament, with a 5-year maximum duration for Parliament. The Senate's 21 members are appointed by the governor general -- 12 with the advice of the prime minister, two with the advice of the leader of the opposition, and seven at the governor general's discretion to represent segments of the community. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Barbados is an independent and sovereign state and a member of the British Commonwealth. In the past couple of years there has been much discussion about the possibility of the country becoming a republic and leaving the Commonwealth. Under the current constitution, Barbados is a Westminster‑style parliamentary democracy. The Queen of England, Barbados’ titular head of state, appoints a Governor General as her representative in Barbados. The bicameral Parliament, consisting of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Assembly, is supreme. The Prime Minister (normally the leader of the House’s majority party) and other Cabinet members are appointed from among the House members. The Senate consists of 21 members; the House, 28. The Governor General appoints all Senators: 7 without advice of government in order to include religious, economic, social, or other interests; 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister; and 2 on the advice of the opposition leader. The country’s two major p ... [Read More]

International Parental Child Abduction Barbados

GENERAL INFORMATION: Barbados is not a party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, nor are there any international or bilateral treaties in force between Barbados and the United States dealing with international parental child abduction. American citizens who travel to Barbados place themselves under the jurisdiction of local courts. American citizens planning a trip to Barbados with dual national children should bear this in mind. CUSTODY DISPUTES: In Barbados, if parents are legally married they share the custody of their children. If they are not married, by law the custody is granted to the mother unless there ar ... [Read More]

2003

1111--10/16/03   President Bush Discusses the Economy and the War on Terror; President Bush; Remarks on the Economy and the War on Terror; Radisson Hotel and Convention Center, San Bernardino, California ...

1111--04/30/03   On-the-Record Briefing; Ambassador Cofer Black, Coordinator for Counterterrorism; Remarks at On-the-Record Briefing on the Release of the Annual Patterns of Global Terrorism 2002 report; Washington, DC ... [Read More]

Kramer, Mary E.

President Bush recently appointed Ambassador Kramer to serve as the chair of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Additionally, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and is the Chairman of the Board for the Senate President’s Forum. She is also a member of the Reforming States Group (Health Care Issues) and facilitated the Milbank Memorial fund. ...

Ambassador Kramer graduated from Iowa City High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Iowa. She received her undergraduate degree in piano performance and still enjoys playing. Ambassador Kramer has served as a member of the Board of the Des Moines Club, the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Central Iowa, the Polk County Child Care Resource Center, Brenton Bank and Mercy Hospital. She is also a lifetime member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in Iowa and received the Society’s highest national award in June of 1996. ... [Read More]

April - June

1111--04/11/02   U.S. Assistance to Colombia and the Andean Region; Otto J. Reich, Assistant Secretary or Western Hemisphere Affairs; Testimony Before the House International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere; Washington, DC ...

1111--05/03/02   The OAS and the Democratic Charter; Roger F. Noriega, U.S. Ambassador to the OAS; Remarks to the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Washington, DC ... [Read More]

Abduction Country Specific Information

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

Remarks

1111--10/10/01   The Presence of International Terrorist Groups in the Western Hemisphere; Ambassador Francis X. Taylor, Coordinator for Counterterrorism; Remarks Before the Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere Committee; U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC ...

1111--03/24/04   Saudi Arabia and the Fight Against Terrorist Financing; Ambassador Cofer Black, Coordinator for Counterterrorism; Testimony before the the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia; Washington, DC ... [Read More]

Antigua and Barbuda (08/04)

As head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is represented in Antigua and Barbuda by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. Antigua and Barbuda has a bicameral legislature: a 17-member Senate appointed by the governor general--mainly on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition--and a 17-member popularly elected House of Representatives. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House and conducts affairs of state with the cabinet. The prime minister and the cabinet are responsible to the Parliament. Elections must be held at least every 5 years but may be called by the prime minister at any time. National elections were last held on March 23, 2004. Antigua and Barbuda has a multiparty political system with a long history of hard-fought elections, three of which have resulted in peaceful changes of government. ... [Read More]

Adoption Country Specific Information

U.S. Department of State [Read More]