Barbados to hold first election since becoming a republic

FILE PHOTO: Dancers perform during the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony, held to mark the birth of a new republic in Barbados at Heroes Square in Bridgetown, Barbados, November 29, 2021. Picture taken November 29, 2021. Jonathan Brady/Pool via REUTERS//File Photo

(Reuters) - Barbados on Wednesday will hold general elections called by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the Caribbean nation's first vote since it became a republic last year by removing the British Queen as its sovereign.

Mottley, whose Barbados Labor Party now controls 29 of the legislature's 30 seats, in December said the vote would help promote unity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, which has heavily hit the country's tourism-focused economy.