| Post-Bird era | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2014 | |||
| Prime Minister(s) | Baldwin Spencer | ||
Chronology
| |||
The history of Antigua and Barbuda from 2004 until 2014 began with the first democratic transfer of power in Antigua and Barbuda since 1976, and ended with the election of Gaston Browne as prime minister in 2014.
After the establishment of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission in 2001, the country began to return to democracy after nearly about half a century of Bird family rule, excluding a brief period in the 1970s when the family was removed from political power for five years. [1] On 23 March 2004, the first democratic elections since independence were held, resulting in the United Progressive Party and its allies winning a combined total of thirteen seats in Parliament. [2] Spencer was sworn in the next day, and due to now-improved ties between the islands, a Barbudan was appointed to the Cabinet for the first time. [3] [4] Following this election, the first few years of the UPP administration were focused on ending corruption, [5] and by 2007 a new governor-general was appointed, Louise Lake-Tack. [6] Also in 2007, Antigua hosted the Cricket World Cup, but due to unsafe conditions at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the government was publicly humiliated. [7] However, Antigua and Barbuda was able to defeat the United States in a court case involving its online gambling industry, resulting in an increased standing in the non-aligned world and assuming of the leadership of the Group of 77. [8] In 2008, a wave of crime began, resulting in the Antigua honeymoon murders and cramping of inmates in the country's only prison, resulting in a deterioration of the tourism industry's reputation. [9] [7] The Allen Stanford controversy served as a final blow to the government's reputation, just a month before the general election. [10]
On 12 March 2009, a general election was held. It was the closest election in the country's history until 2023. [11] Spencer was sworn in as prime minister the next day, but doubts began to surface. The Labour Party successfully petitioned to the high court for results in four constituencies to be annulled on 21 March, but the decision was successfully appealed by the government on 24 October 2010. [12] [13] Due to the financial crisis, unemployment rose by twenty percent, and the reputation of the UPP government began to disintegrate. The citizenship by investment program was also introduced during this time, which resulted in heavy criticism and the dismissal of four dissenting senators. [14] Electoral reenrollment around this time was also plagued with obstacles. [15] While Antigua and Barbuda retained a relatively high human development index during this period, the aftermath of the financial crisis resulted in a decline that did not recover until 2013. [16]
Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign archipelagic 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 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.
Winston Baldwin Spencer is an Antiguan politician who was the third prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 2004 to 2014.
The Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an advisory quasi-parliamentary body in the UAE. The FNC consists of 40 members. Twenty of the members are indirectly elected by the hand-picked 33% of Emirati citizens who have voting rights through an electoral college, while the other twenty are appointed by the rulers of each emirate. According to Reuters, "the process of selecting the people who can either elect or be elected is opaque."
The Council of States was the upper house of the parliament of Sudan from 2005 to 2019. It was established as part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which aimed to end the long-standing civil war between the Sudanese government and rebel groups in southern Sudan. The CPA provided for the creation of a bicameral National Legislature, consisting of the Council of States and the National Assembly.
The National Union for Democracy and Progress is a political party in Cameroon, drawing its main support from the north of the country. It was established as an opposition party in the early 1990s and won the second largest number of seats in the 1992 parliamentary election. The UNDP's National President is Maigari Bello Bouba, who is currently a Minister of State in the government.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 12 March 2009. The result was a victory for the United Progressive Party, which won nine of the seventeen elected seats in the House of Representatives.
Sir Robin Yearwood KGCN is an Antiguan politician and member of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP). Entering Parliament in 1976, Yearwood served as Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in the ALP administration until a cabinet reshuffle in 1987 saw him take over Vere Bird, Jr.'s portfolio for Aviation, Public Information and Public Utilities. Despite a failed attempt to oust the Prime Minister he retained this position, and kept it when he became Deputy Prime Minister on 9 September 2002 and Minister of Finance a year later. Following the ALP's loss in the 2004 election, Yearwood was one of only three ALP members left in the lower house, and became Leader of the Opposition. He held this position until 2006, when he was replaced with Steadroy Benjamin.
Sir Molwyn Joseph, KGCN, is an Antiguan politician and Chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP). First entering politics in 1984 when he was made a Minister without Portfolio in the government of Vere Bird, Joseph became Minister of Finance seven years later, renegotiating the Antiguan national debt and introducing fiscal reforms. After a 1996 scandal in which it was discovered he had used his position to import a 1930s Rolls-Royce for a friend, bypassing normal import duties and taxes, he was dismissed from the Bird administration, returning 14 months later to serve as Minister for Planning, Implementation and the Environment. Following the 1999 general election, he became Minister of Heath and Social Improvement before being made Minister of Tourism and the Environment a few months later. As Minister, Joseph attempted to improve the perception of Antigua as a tourist destination and invest in the industry, spending 2 million US dollars increasing the number of hotel rooms on the island and providing money for both Air Jamaica and Air Luxor to provide flights to the island.
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.
Alincia T. H. Williams-Grant is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician. She was appointed as a Senator and elected as the President of the Upper House of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda in June 2014.
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.
The 16th legislature of Antigua and Barbuda is the current parliament, being elected in the 2023 Antiguan general election on 18 January 2023.
Human rights in Antigua and Barbuda comprise a series of rights legally protected by the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda. Additionally, the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda has ratified various international conventions and treaties to protect the human rights of its population. If a person in Antigua and Barbuda believes that their constitutional rights have been violated, they may appeal to the Antigua and Barbuda High Court.
The history of Antigua and Barbuda from 1981 to 1994 began after Antigua and Barbuda gained independence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981. This era cemented the rule of the Bird family in Antigua, and resulted in the Barbudan independence movement being pacified for the next few decades. The Antigua Labour Party also became a conservative party during this period, resulting in tense relations with leftist governments and Antigua and Barbuda's participation in the United States invasion of Grenada.
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.
