Above: Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart (CJ Photo)

By Alexander Britell

The Democratic Labour Party has retained power in Barbados with a narrow election victory, according to preliminary results.

The win gives Prime Minister Freundel Stuart his first full term in office, after taking over as Prime Minister in 2010 following the death of former Prime Minister David Thompson.

The initial results showed a thin majority of 16 seats for the DLP to 14 for the BLP. Stuart’s DLP had held 21 of 30 seats in Parliament going into the vote.

It is the second straight election victory for the DLP, following 14 years of a Barbados Labour Party government under former Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader Owen Arthur.

The victory stemmed a tide of opposition victories in the Caribbean, most recently a landslide victory by the New National Party in Grenada.

The two-seat win also prevented a hung parliament, which had been looking like a possibility as the final results arrived in the early morning.

In a statement on social media, the DLP said “thanks to almighty God and thank you Barbados.”

The DLP’s win came as something of a surprise, following polls which had predicted a win for BLP and Arthur.