Barbados election Thursday expected to see fall of government, return of BLP under Own Arthur

Owen Arthur - polls suggests he could return to lead the Barbados government
after Thursday's general election

Barbadians vote on Thursday in a general election that could see the defeat of the incumbent and a return of Owen Arthur as Prime Minister. 

However, polls suggest it is a closer race than the one in Grenada on Tuesday in which the opposition led by Dr Keith Mitchell made a clean sweep, winning all 15 seats and tossing out the Tillman Thomas administration that governed for five years.

The polls have been fluctuating, making Thursday's vote a difficult one to call although the consensus is that the incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) would lose the election with the opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), led by former Prime Minister Owen Arthur getting between 17 and 20 seats in the 30 seat legislature.

The DLP, led by the late David Thompson, came to office in Barbados following the general election held on January 15, 2008.

It won 20 of the 30 seats, ending the rule of Prime Minister Own Arthur, whose BLP had been in office since 1994.

On 11 September 2008 BLP MP Hamilton Lashley deserted his party and sat as an independent, leaving the BLP with nine seats. Lashley later joined the governing party.

Thompson died in October 2010 and was succeeded by Freundel Stuart.