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5 of 11 seats in the Barbuda Council | |||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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Elections for five of the nine elected seats in the Barbuda Council are scheduled to be held in late March 2025. The previous two elections resulted in landslides for the Barbuda People's Movement, who currently hold all eleven seats on the council, including the two ex officio seats. [1] [2] Important issues in this election include land rights, the environment, and infrastructure. [3]
After the landslide victory for the BPM in 2023, calls for Barbudan independence re-emerged, with the pro-independence Barbuda Land Rights and Resources Committee launching a plan for a new waterfront area in Codrington and criticising the Barbuda Council for not meeting enough. [4] In October 2024, the controversial Burton–Nibbs International Airport opened, replacing the Barbuda Codrington Airport. The airport is located in a sensitive environmental area [5] and in 2023, attempts were made to demolish the airport before construction was completed. [6] In January 2025, the land adjudication process was also condemned by the council, after it began in April 2024. [7]
The Barbuda Council has elections every two years. The amount of seats up for election alternates, with odd-numbered years having four seats up for election, and even numbered years having five seats up for election. Every member has a term of four years. One ex officio member is the member of parliament for Barbuda, who is directly elected by the island's population. Another ex officio member is the Barbuda Council's senator, who is nominated by the council and appointed by the governor-general. In total, there are eleven members on the council. [8]
Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2, making it one of the smallest countries in the Caribbean. The country is mostly flat, with the highest points on Antigua being in the Shekerley Mountains and on Barbuda the Highlands. The country has a tropical savanna climate, with pockets of tropical monsoon in Antigua's southwest. Its largest city is St. John's.
The politics of Antigua and Barbuda takes place in a framework of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, wherein the sovereign of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of state, appointing a governor-general to act as vice-regal representative in the nation. A prime minister is appointed by the governor-general as the head of government, and of a multi-party system; the prime minister advises the governor-general on the appointment of a Council of Ministers. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament. The bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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.
Barbuda is an island and dependency located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda as an autonomous entity. Barbuda is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Antigua. The only settlements on the island are Codrington and its surrounding localities. Barbuda is a flat island with the western portion being dominated by Codrington Lagoon, and the eastern portion being dominated by the elevated plateau of the Barbuda Highlands, with salty ponds and scrubland spread throughout the island. The climate is classified as tropical marine.
The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. The current leader of the party is Gaston Browne, who serves as the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. The party had previously been led by Lester Bird, who was chairman of the party since 1971, and was Prime Minister and political leader in 1994.
The governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda is the representative of the monarch of Antigua and Barbuda, currently King Charles III. The official residence of the governor-general is Government House.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 23 March 2004. The result was a victory for the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), which defeated the incumbent Antigua Labour Party. Baldwin Spencer, leader of the UPP, replaced Lester Bird as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, with Bird being one of eight Labour MPs to lose his seat. Spencer became only the second Prime Minister from outside the Bird family or the Labour Party.
The Barbuda People's Movement is a left-wing Barbudan nationalist political party in Antigua and Barbuda active only on the island of Barbuda. The party's symbol is the European fallow deer, national animal of Barbuda. The party seeks the secession of Barbuda from Antigua and Barbuda. The party is allied with the United Progressive Party.
Codrington is the only village on the island of Barbuda, which is part of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Codrington coincides with the Codrington major division, one of the two major divisions on Barbuda. Situated on the Codrington Lagoon, Codrington is the country's northernmost settlement. The population of Codrington was 796 in 2011.
Sir Thomas Hilbourne Frank was a politician from Antigua and Barbuda. He was a political leader of the Barbuda People's Movement, which favours greater independence of Barbuda from Antigua and supports the United Progressive Party.
Arthur Nibbs is a politician from Antigua and Barbuda. He represented the Antigua Labour Party in both chambers of Parliament at various times. Born in Barbuda, he was educated at the Holy Trinity School and the Antigua Grammar School.
The Barbuda Land Acts establishes that the citizens of Barbuda communally own the land. The act specifies that residents must provide consent for major development projects on the island. The Government of Antigua and Barbuda passed the act on January 17, 2008.
Trevor Myke Walker is a Barbudan politician, current member of parliament for Barbuda, and former Cabinet Minister under the Baldwin Spencer administration. He is a member of the Barbuda People's Movement, a party that seeks the independence of Barbuda from Antigua and Barbuda.
Squatting in the island country of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies is the occupation of unused land or derelict buildings without the permission of the owner. Historically, native Barbudans were seen as squatters and after Hurricane Irma in 2017, Prime Minister Gaston Browne offered people he termed squatters the chance to buy their land.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 18 January 2023 to elect members of the House of Representatives. The Labour Party (ABLP) has held an absolute majority of 15 seats in the House of Representatives after the 2018 general election, with Gaston Browne remaining as prime minister. Browne initiated a constitutional referendum after the 2018 election, which was rejected by voters, and following the death of Elizabeth II in 2022, he announced his intention to organise a referendum for the transition of Antigua and Barbuda to a republican system. Besides ABLP, the United Progressive Party (UPP), Democratic National Alliance, Barbuda People's Movement (BPM), and three independent politicians filed candidacies for the 2023 general election.
Administrative structures for local governments can be found in Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda had seventeen district councils corresponding with the constituencies. Under the direction of the Local Government Officer, the district councils have been categorized into a total of four distinct zones. At a more fundamental level, village councils are encouraged the participation of local citizens. The island of Barbuda has a constitutionally-protected unique status, and it has given the authority to solicit financial contributions in order to meet the needs of its inhabitants.
On March 29, 2023, elections for the Barbuda Council were held, resulting in a victory for the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM).
The Barbudan independence movement is a political movement that seeks the independence of Barbuda from Antigua. Proponents state that Barbudan independence would allow Barbudans to exercise their right to self-determination, especially after the start of the Barbuda land crisis, while opponents state that this movement would set a precedent for other small islands in the region to secede, and would deprive Antigua of critical resources.
The history of Antigua and Barbuda since 2014 began with the election of Gaston Browne as prime minister. Since then, the Barbudan independence movement has resurged and the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party has cemented control over the country. Relations between the two islands have largely deteriorated.
The political history of Antigua and Barbuda covers the history of political movements and systems of government in Antigua and Barbuda. Since Antigua's colonisation in 1632, the archipelago has seen various governments and political conflicts, as well as democratic backsliding and attempts to redevelop the country. Now, Antigua and Barbuda is a fully independent unitary parliamentary monarchy.
