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 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.
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 Council is a local authority that manages the internal affairs on the island of Barbuda. The council has the authority to buy, acquire, hold, mortgage, and dispose of land and other property. It also possesses a common seal and perpetual succession. The Barbuda Council, which has the authority outlined in the Barbuda Local Government Act, is the government of the island and its coastal zone. The members of the Senate who meet the requirements outlined in paragraph (1) of section 6 of the Barbuda Local Government Act, nine elected members, and the member of the House of Representatives from the Barbuda constituency make up the Council. A Commonwealth citizen who is eighteen years of age or older, was born in Barbuda, is the child of parents who were at least one of their parents' birthplaces, or who has lived in Barbuda for at least three years prior to the date of their nomination for election, and who is a regular resident of Barbuda and a registered voter under the Representation of the People Act are all required to be eligible to be elected as a member of the Council.
Speaker of the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda is the presiding officer in the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda. Prior to conducting any other business, the House must elect a Speaker at its first session following a general election. If the position of Speaker becomes vacant at any point before the next dissolution of Parliament, the House must elect a replacement as soon as is practically possible. The Speaker may be chosen from among House members or from among individuals who are not House members but are eligible to serve in that capacity. Before conducting any other business other than electing the Speaker during the first meeting following a general election, the House shall elect a member to serve as Deputy Speaker. If the position of Deputy Speaker becomes vacant at any point prior to the next dissolution of Parliament, the House shall, as soon as is practically possible, elect another member to fill the vacancy. A minister or parliamentarian cannot be elected as the speaker or deputy speaker of the house by the house. When the position of Speaker is open, the House may not conduct any business.
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GOAB), is a unitary constitutional monarchy, where the Monarch of Antigua and Barbuda serves as the head of state, represented by the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, and the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda serves as the head of government.
Asot Anthony Emmanuel Michael was an Antiguan politician who was a member of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda, elected from Saint Peter Constituency. He was also the Minister of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy under Prime Minister Gaston Browne. He had previously been a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party.
Gaston Alfonso Browne is an Antiguan politician serving as the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda and leader of the Labour Party since 2014. Before entering politics, he was a banker and businessman.
Sir Ronald Michael Sanders is an Antiguan Barbudan diplomat, academic, former broadcast-journalist, and the current Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and to the Organization of American States (OAS) since 2015. He holds the unique distinction of being the first person, since the OAS enlarged its membership in 1962, to serve as Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OAS for an unprecedented three terms. He completed his highly successful third term on December 31, 2023, having played a widely recognized role in guiding the work of the Permanent Council in the peaceful transition of government in Guatemala on 14 January 2024.
Maria Vanessa Bird-Browne is a politician in Antigua and Barbuda. She was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for St. John's Rural East in the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda in 2018, becoming the youngest lawmaker in the country. She is the country's minister for housing, lands, and urban renewal.
The Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission is the non-partisan entity responsible for administering all elections in Antigua and Barbuda.
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.
The Vice Chairperson of the Barbuda Council, officially the Deputy Chairperson of the Barbuda Council, is the deputy leader of the Barbuda Council. Each year, the Council elects two members to serve as the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council at its first meeting in January before moving on to discuss any other business. With the caveat that the election of a Chairman and Deputy Chairman shall occur at the first meeting following any year in which an election is held in accordance with section 14 of the Barbuda Local Government Act. In the event that neither the chairman nor the deputy chairman is present at a meeting, the members in attendance may choose a temporary chairman from among themselves for the duration of that meeting. The deputy chairman of the council will preside over meetings in the chairman's absence. The members of the Council shall elect a new Deputy Chairman to fill any vacancy that may arise in the event that the Deputy Chairman resigns, passes away, or is disqualified from serving on the Council.
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.
Joanne Maureen Massiah is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician and former Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament for All Saints East and St. Luke. Currently, she is the President of the Democratic National Alliance.
The deputyprime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is the deputy head of government of that country. Nobody holds the position currently.
The Barbuda Council has committees that may be created by the by-laws of the council or under the Barbuda Local Government Act that are responsible for departmentalising the functions of the council and delegating the tasks of the council.
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.
