The electoral clean sweep in Barbados was democracy in action, according to Carl Neblett, president of the Barbados Association of Bermuda.

Mia Mottley, the daughter of former Bermuda Attorney-General Elliott Mottley, and her Barbados Labour Party took all 30 seats in the country’s House of Assembly as the former Democratic Labour Party was hammered at the polls.

Mr Neblett said: “All I can say is it’s a welcome change as the incumbent party ran that country into the ground.”

The clean sweep came on May 24.

Mr Neblett said: “The population has spoken. We have never had a whitewash of the election like that in our history where you have no Opposition.

“That’s a serious message — when you’re voted into office you’re supposed to listen to the people and take care of the problems, not doing as you please and acting like you can’t be spoken to.”

Mr Neblett said he had no worries about the one-party Parliament.

He added: “Barbados was in a quandary. It was one of the leading countries in the Caribbean despite its size, and then it became the laughing stock of the Caribbean.

“That’s sad, but now I think we will get out of this mess.”

The global recession of 2008 hit Barbados badly and the DLP was unable to turn around the island’s economy in the decade since.

Mr Neblett said the landslide gave the BLP “the mandate to sort things out”.

He added the result echoed the 24-12 landslide for the Progressive Labour Party last year, which ousted the One Bermuda Alliance administration.

Mr Neblett said: “You have to have that degree of accountability and some form of Opposition.

“You also have to remember that the Opposition put themselves in that position. It’s happening everywhere, not only on small islands.

“When constituents are up in arms with how the country is being run, they will execute what they are supposed to do, and that’s by the vote. Not violence. Just cross that X and vote.”

Mr Neblett added that Ms Mottley’s administration showed promise in its first week in power.

He said: “She is leading from the front, unlike the previous PM, who was never anywhere to be seen, like a phantom.

“Ms Mottley is going to be a great PM. She has a lot of good people in her corner and the country’s interests at heart.”

He added the BLP triumph left the new ruling party with “a long road to travel”.

Mr Neblett added: “I am hoping and praying.”