| Antigua and Barbuda | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–present | |||
| Prime Minister(s) | Gaston Browne | ||
Chronology
| |||
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.
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 12 June 2014. These elections resulted in the rebranded Labour Party returning to power after ten years in opposition. This also resulted in the Bird family's partial return to power, with Vere Bird's grandson-in-law Gaston Browne assuming the premiership. [1] [2] After the deterioration of the United Progressive Party's reputation, the Labour Party won in a landslide under new leadership, Browne being the youngest prime minister in the country's history. [2] Browne pledged to transform the country into an economic powerhouse, with groundbreaking on his brainchild, the Antigua and Barbuda Special Economic Zone, commencing on 30 April 2015. [3] The project was intended to be a modern futuristic city with skyscrapers and monorails, [4] being led by the formerly-Chinese investor Yida Zhang, now exclusively a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. [5] In 2016, Antigua's human and infrastructural development was on an upward trajectory, [6] being the first country in the Caribbean to ban plastic bags. [7] However, this progress was reversed in September 2017 following Hurricane Irma.
While Antigua was largely unscathed, 95% of Barbuda's infrastructure was destroyed, [8] causing a land grab that ended the once-positive relationship between the two islands. [9] Attempting to exploit the situation on the island, general elections were called a year earlier than required. [10] [11] [12]
On 21 March 2018, general elections were held. These elections resulted in an even larger landslide for the Labour Party, winning all but two seats in Parliament. [13] However, after its loss of the Barbuda seat in 2014, the Barbuda People's Movement flipped the constituency, largely in part due to the government's handling of the hurricane just a few months before. Contrary to the constitution, Barbudans were not permitted to vote in their constituency due to a forced evacuation, an inciting moment in the resurgence of the Barbudan independence movement a few years later. [10] While most aid intended for the island was withheld, Barbuda and the rest of the country began to slowly recover, and by February 2019, some residents had returned to the island. [14] Voter records from 2023 show that the island had 1,281 registered electors, indicating a full recovery of the population, and possibly even a population increase. [15] In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached Antigua and Barbuda, resulting in the collapse of the country's tourism industry. While the country eventually recovered, the already-inactive ABSEZ project collapsed, and Zhang began to enter legal troubles, effectively killing the project. [16] In February 2024, the project was purchased by a local company, and the once nearly-completely autonomous zone was stripped of many of its local government powers. [17] Also in 2020, the Barbuda Council submitted a request to the Cabinet wishing for the island's independence, although a constitutional amendment declaring the island independent did not pass the House of Representatives. [18] In 2023, general elections were held, resulting in the narrowest victory in the history of the country and no party winning a majority of the popular vote. [19] Gaston Browne was sworn in for a third term on 20 January 2023. [20] On 3 October 2024, the country's second international airport, Burton–Nibbs International Airport, was opened after ongoing controversy. [21] [22]
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 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 monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Antigua and Barbuda. The current Antiguan and Barbudan monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Antigua and Barbuda. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Antigua and Barbuda and, in this capacity, he and other members of the Royal Family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Antigua and Barbuda. However, the King is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role.
Barbuda Codrington Airport was a public airport serving the village of Codrington, on the island of Barbuda. Its runway is only 500 metres long, only sufficient for STOL or very light aeroplanes.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Osbert Richard Frederick is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician. He was appointed senator by Prime Minister Gaston Browne. After his appointment, he was elected the Deputy senate president in the Upper House of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda.
Cheryl Mary Clare Hurst is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician. She is a senator of the Upper House of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda. She was appointed senator by Prime Minister Gaston Browne. She is also the General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party. Hurst was appointed senator after the 2014 general elections held in Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua, officially the Associated State of Antigua, was an associated state of the United Kingdom, which was established on 27 February 1967. The associated state was abolished on November 1, 1981, by the Antigua Order.
Royal tours of Antigua and Barbuda by its royal family have been taking place since the 20th century. Elizabeth II, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda, visited the country thrice: in 1966, 1977, and 1985.
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.
Discrimination in Antigua and Barbuda refers to all forms and expressions of actions that restrict social participation or deny human rights to specific groups of people in Antiguan and Barbudan society or institutions. Antigua and Barbuda struggles severely with ethnic and gender discrimination, with common issues including the gender pay gap, ethnic discrimination, and discrimination against immigrants.
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 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.
