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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.
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.
Sir Vere Cornwall Bird,KNH was the first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. His son,Lester Bryant Bird,succeeded him as prime minister. In 1994,he was declared a "National Hero".
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.
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.
The Barbuda People's Movement for Change was a political party in Barbuda,part of Antigua and Barbuda.
The Barbuda Independence Movement was a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. The party was formed in 1988 by Arthur Nibbs. It participated in the 1989 general elections,but received only 71 votes and failed to win a seat. It did not contest another election.
Sir George Herbert Walter,KNH was an Antiguan politician of the Progressive Labour Movement and Premier of Antigua and Barbuda from 14 February 1971 to 1 February 1976.
Sir Steadroy "Cutie" Olivero Benjamin,KGCN,is an Antiguan lawyer and politician,who is the current minister of Justice and Attorney General of Antigua and Barbuda. He previously served as Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda.
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.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 21 March 2018 to elect members to House of Representatives of the 15th Antigua and Barbuda Parliament. Each of the 17 constituencies elected one Member of Parliament (MP).
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.
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.
Federalism in Antigua and Barbuda refers to political theories that the central government of Antigua and Barbuda should share a certain degree of sovereignty with its parishes and dependencies under a form of federalism. These proposals were first made during the era of the Associated State of Antigua,prior to independence. However,due to disputes during the Barbuda Land crisis since 2017,members of the Barbuda People's Movement,the United Progressive Party,and other entities have proposed this in an effort to avoid Barbudan secession. In Antigua and Barbuda,the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is usually used as an example of how an Antiguan and Barbudan federal system could work.
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 from 1994 until 2004 began with the undemocratic elections that installed Lester Bird into power,after V. C. Bird was forced out of office due to various corruption scandals and advanced age. This era was associated with severe democratic backsliding,until 2001 when the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission was established and the eventual fall of the Bird regime following the democratic 2004 general election. Antigua and Barbuda was not considered a democracy during this period.
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.
References
- ↑ "Caribbean Elections Biography | Arthur Nibbs". Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- 1 2 New Page 1 Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of Central America and the Caribbean - Phil Gunson, Greg Chamberlain, Andrew Thompson - Google Books
- 1 2 3 politics – barbudaful