Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign island 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.
Sir Vere Cornwall Bird,KNH was the first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. His son,Lester Bryant Bird,succeeded him as Prime Minister. In 1994,he was declared a "National Hero".
Antigua,also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population,is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 November 1981.
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.
The Antiguan Carnival is a celebration of emancipation from slavery,held annually on the island of Antigua. It is a thirteen-day festival of colorful costumes,beauty pageants,talent shows,and music. The festival begins in late July and ends the first Tuesday in August,known as Carnival Tuesday. Both Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday are public holidays on the island. Antiguan Carnival replaced the Old Time Christmas Festival in 1957,with hopes of inspiring tourism in Antigua and Barbuda. Some elements of the Old Time Christmas Festival remain in the modern Carnival celebrations.
Dame Hazelyn Francis DCN is a former politician,teacher,trade-union leader from Antigua and Barbuda,Vice-President and President of the Senate in Antigua and Barbuda from 2005 to 2014.
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).
Vere Bird Jr. was an Antiguan lawyer and politician who served as chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) and a government minister. He was the son of Vere Bird,the former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,and brother of Lester Bird,who later held the same position.
Asot Michael is an Antiguan politician and 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 was formerly 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.
Dame Bridget Harris (DCN) (also known as Bridgette Harris) is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. She was appointed to the position in 1994 as a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party and served until 2004. She was the first woman to serve as speaker of the house in Antigua and Barbuda. In 2001 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation.
The high commissioner of India in Georgetown,Guyana is concurrently accredited to Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda maintains an honorary consulate general in New Delhi.
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.
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 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.
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.
