Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles,at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two major islands,Antigua and Barbuda,approximately 40 km (20 mi) apart,and several smaller islands,including Great Bird,Green,Guiana,Long,Maiden,Prickly Pear,York,and Redonda. The permanent population is approximately 97,120,97% residing in Antigua. St. John's,Antigua,is the country's capital,major city,and largest port. Codrington is Barbuda's largest town.
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.
Sir Lester Bryant Bird KNH was an Antigua and Barbuda 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.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration,protection of human and legal rights,and the encouragement of good governance between countries and territories in the Eastern Caribbean. It also performs the role of spreading responsibility and liability in the event of natural disaster.
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.
Charlesworth Theophilus Samuel was an Antiguan politician.
Antigua and Barbuda maintains diplomatic relations with the United States,Canada,the United Kingdom,and the People's Republic of China,as well as with many Latin American countries and neighbouring Eastern Caribbean states. It is a member of the United Nations,the Commonwealth of Nations,the Organization of American States,the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States,the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas,Petrocaribe and the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System (RSS).
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) persons in Antigua and Barbuda may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens.
Ivor Grenville Theophulus Bird is an Antiguan businessman and the son of Vere Bird,former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
Sheila Roseau,is the current United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Namibia Country Representative since 2020,continuing from her role as Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Office Panama for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). She joined the UNFPA in 2013 as the Director and Representative of the Sub-Regional Office for the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),previously serving as the Executive Director of Gender Affairs for Antigua and Barbuda and is a longtime advocate of women's rights.
Gaston Alfonso Browne is the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He has been its leader since 2014. Before entering politics,he was a banker and businessman.
Visa requirements for Antiguan and Barbudan citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed by the authorities of foreign states on citizens of Antigua and Barbuda. As of 19 July 2022,Antiguan and Barbudan citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 151 countries and territories,ranking the Antiguan and Barbudan passport 30th in the world in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Jacqui Quinn-Leandro is a communications specialist from Antigua. She was the first woman to be elected to the Lower House of Parliament for Antigua and Barbuda. In 2005,she served as the first female acting prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda during a temporary absence of Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. After two terms as a Member of Parliament,she was appointed as senator.
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 since 2015. He is also the non-resident High Commissioner to Canada since 2017. He served twice as Antigua's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom as well as ambassador and negotiator to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (1997–2004). He was a member and Rapporteur of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (2010–2011) that produced a seminal report entitled,A Commonwealth of the People:Time for Urgent Reform that laid out a plan of action to make the Commonwealth effective and relevant. He was Antigua and Barbuda's nominee to be secretary general of the Commonwealth at the election held at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. He is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies,University of London,and is a speaker at conventions and conferences on global financial services issues and on Caribbean states in the political-economy of the Americas and the Commonwealth.
Dame Gwendolyn Tonge,DCN,OH,MBE was an Antiguan teacher and home economics expert. After teaching for many years,she became the head of the government Women's Desk,the precursor to the Directorate of Gender Affairs. Appointed as a Senator,she continued to work in the Ministry of the Prime Minister,responsible for policies on women's issues. As Auntie Gwen,she hosted a cooking show Cooking Magic,which began airing on the Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS) in the 1960s until her death,the longest running television series in the eastern Caribbean,other than news programs. The recipient of many awards,she was honored with the Order of the British Empire,the Order of Honour of Antigua and Barbuda,Distinguished Order of the Nation.
Zahra Airall is a writer,women's rights activist,film maker and playwright from Antigua and Barbuda. She is a founding member of the organisation Women of Antigua and is one of their executives. She is the director of the Sugar Apple Theatre in Antigua. She has written plays such as The Forgotten,which was performed in the Caribbean Secondary Schools Drama Festival by Antigua Girls' High School. Airall is one of the contributors to She Sex,a collaborative book with sections written by different Caribbean women. She also writes short stories such as "The Looking Glass". She wrote a specially commissioned monologue for Heather Doram.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Antigua and Barbuda is part of the ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),which was confirmed to have reached Antigua and Barbuda on 13 March 2020. As of 6 July 2021,there are a total of 1,265 confirmed cases,of which 1,222 have recovered and 42 have died.
The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) is a social democratic political party in Antigua and Barbuda founded on April 18th,2017. The DNA is currently led by former MP and Senator Joanne Massiah. The party was founded after a disastrous leadership race within the United Progressive Party following their defeat in the 2014 General Elections.
Gail Christian is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician and senator. She is a senator of the Upper House of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda. She was appointed senator by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
Royal tours of Antigua and Barbuda by its Royal Family have been taking place since the 20th century. The former Queen of Antigua and Barbuda,Elizabeth II,visited the country three times:1966,1977,and 1985. Other members of the Royal Family have also paid visits.
