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All 17 seats in the House of Representatives 9 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 63.61% ( 1.29pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 9 March 1999. [1] The elections were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party. Lester Bird was re-elected Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Voter turnout was 63.6%. [1]
The elections were extremely close, with the UPP losing five seats by a narrow 554 votes in total, and had the elections been free and fair (the government controlled almost all newspapers as well as television and radio stations), the opposition could have won a majority. [2] Opposition leader Baldwin Spencer criticised the conduct and fairness of the elections and began a hunger strike in protest to the flaws in the system. The government responded by establishing the independent Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission in 2001.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
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Antigua Labour Party | 17,521 | 52.94 | 12 | +1 | |
United Progressive Party | 14,713 | 44.45 | 4 | −1 | |
Barbuda People's Movement | 418 | 1.26 | 1 | 0 | |
Antigua Freedom Party | 57 | 0.17 | 0 | New | |
National Reform Movement | 33 | 0.10 | 0 | New | |
Independents | 355 | 1.07 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 33,097 | 100.00 | 17 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 33,097 | 99.33 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 223 | 0.67 | |||
Total votes | 33,320 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 52,385 | 63.61 | |||
Source: Nohlen |
Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign island country in the Caribbean. It lies at the conjuncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles.
The history of Antigua and Barbuda covers the period from the arrival of the Archaic peoples thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Antigua and Barbuda were inhabited by three successive Amerindian societies. The island was claimed by England, who settled the islands in 1632. Under English/British control, the islands witnessed an influx of both Britons and African slaves migrate to the island. In 1981, the islands were granted independence as the modern state of Antigua and Barbuda.
Sir Lester Bryant Bird was an Antiguan politician and athlete who served as the second prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2004. He was chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) from 1971 to 1983, then became prime minister when his father, Sir Vere Bird, the previous prime minister, resigned.
The United Progressive Party is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. It was previously led by Baldwin Spencer, it was the governing party from 2004 to 2014. It has been in opposition since the 2014 election and is now led by Harold Lovell. However, Harold recently resigned on Friday 20 January 2023. As a result, Jamale L. Pringle is now leader of the party..
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The Antigua Freedom Party was a political party in Antigua and Barbuda led by George "Rick" James.
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General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 9 March 1989, the second after it had become an independent Commonwealth realm. The elections were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party (ALP), whose leader Vere Bird was reelected as Prime Minister. Voter turnout was 60.7%.
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General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 11 February 1971. They were won by the Progressive Labour Movement. PLM leader George Walter was elected Premier of Antigua, defeating the incumbent Premier Vere Bird of the Antigua Labour Party. The PLM was founded in 1967 after a split in the leadership of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union; this was its first election, as well as its first and only electoral victory.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 18 February 1976. Whilst the Progressive Labour Movement received the most votes, the opposition Antigua Labour Party won more than double the number of seats. ALP leader Vere Bird was elected Premier of Antigua. Bird had previously served as head of government of Antigua and Barbuda between 1960 and 1971. He defeated the incumbent Premier George Walter of the Progressive Labour Movement.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 24 April 1980. They were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party. ALP leader Vere Bird was re-elected as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Voter turnout was 77.1%.
The Antigua National Party was a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. The only general elections it contested were those of 1956. Despite receiving 12.5% of the vote, they failed to win a seat.
The Antigua and Barbuda Democratic Movement (ABDM) was a political alliance in Antigua and Barbuda. It included the Antigua Democratic Labour Party and the Barbuda Democratic Movement and was led by Robert Hall.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 12 June 2014. The result was a victory for the opposition Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party led by Gaston Browne, which won 14 of the 17 seats. Following the election, Browne became the country's youngest Prime Minister.