Barbadians voted in the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), sweeping out the incumbent Barbados Labour Party (BLP) from power. Following Tuesday's general elections, the opposition DLP, known as the Dees, had taken 20 of the island's 29 seats in parliament. "The desire for change was powerful," Prime Minister Owen Arthur said from his constituency shortly after midnight. "I gave my very best in this campaign and don't know that I could have done anything differently," he added. DLP victorious The Barbados Nation newspaper said that DLP leader, David Thompson, could be sworn in as early as Wednesday. Barbados-based commentator Rickey Singh had described the poll as the "mother of all elections" on the islland of 280,000 people. Singh had pointed out that DLP leader David Thompson, known for his platform eloquence and waspish tongue against opponents, had mocked with trademark invectives. "Example: "Arthur's shelf-life has long expired...time for change", wrote Rickey Singh for BBC Caribbean before the poll. Arthur, a 58-year-old economist, had been hoping to create local history with an anticipated and unprecedented fourth consecutive term in power. The BLP had campaigned on its track record in office over three straight terms. The outgoing Barbadian leader has not indicated whether he plans to remain as BLP and opposition leader. Last poll At that May 21, 2003 election, the BLP won 23 of the 30 constituencies with 62,294 votes or almost 55 percent of the votes cast. The DLP's seven seats were secured with 54,746 votes or approximately 45 percent. It subsequently suffered a defection to the government by Clyde Mascoll, who is going to be locked in a bitter duel with the DLP's Chris Sincker in defending the the St.Michael North-West constituency he had won in 2003. Almost 43 percent of the valid electorate failed to cast their ballots at the last election, compared with the estimated 37 percent who had stayed away at the January 20, 1999 poll when the BLP won its second term with a landslide 26-2 victory for a then 28-member House. Reprinted from bbccaribbean.com