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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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Bernard Percival is an Antiguan politician. Minister of Education in the 1980s, he succeeded Molwyn Joseph as Minister of Heath and Social Improvement in 1999. Afterwards, he has been appointed as non-resident Ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
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.
Gaston Alphonso 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.
Charles “Max” Fernandez is a Labour Party politician from Antigua and Barbuda who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade from June 2014 to 2018. He currently serves as Minister of Tourism, Investment and Economic Development.
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.
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.
Edmond Mansoor is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician and physician. He is the former senate president of the Upper House of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda. He has also served as the Minister of State and Minister of Communication and Telecommunications.
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.
The 16th legislature of Antigua and Barbuda is the current parliament, being elected in the 2023 Antiguan general election on 18 January 2023.
Rawdon Nirobi Antonio Turner is an Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party politician, who was elected as Member of Parliament for St. Peter in the by-election held on 14 January 2025 and appointed Minister of Social and Urban Transformation in the government of the Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
Dane Alexis Conroy David Massiah is a United Progressive Party politician, who was appointed to the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda for the opposition on 23 January 2023.
Dean Jonas is an Antiguan Labour Party politician who was elected as Member of Parliament for St. George in the general election held on 12 June 2014. On 28 December 2022, he has been nominated as ABLP candidate for 2023 General Elections. On 18 January 2023 he was defeated by UPP candidate Algernon Watts. He was afterwords appointed as Advisor to the Minister with Responsibility for the Blue Economy, but he had his appointment revoked by Prime Minister Gaston Browne on 1 November 2023. On 19 September 2024 Jonas was appointed as Ambassador at large.
Colin V. A. Derrick is a United Progressive Party politician, who was appointed to the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda for the government on 23 March 2004.
References
- ↑ "Johnathan Joseph". United Progressive Party. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ↑ "New UPP leader and opposition senators sworn in". 25 January 2023.
- ↑ "Caribbean Elections | Members of the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda 2018 - present". www.caribbeanelections.com. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
- ↑ Staff, Editorial (2023-12-23). "Government Senators chastise opposition for Senate boycott - Antigua News !" . Retrieved 2025-01-24. Antigua.news
- ↑ Staff, Editorial (2024-02-09). "UPP Senator Wants Health Minister Fired - Antigua News !" . Retrieved 2025-01-24. Antigua.news
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