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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.
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.
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.
Winston Baldwin Spencer is an Antiguan politician who was the third prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 2004 to 2014.
Charlesworth Theophilus Samuel was an Antiguan politician.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Leader of the Opposition,officially the Leader of His Majesty's Opposition,is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda that is not in government. The Leader of the Opposition is appointed by the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda.
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.
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.
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.
The political history of Antigua and Barbuda covers the history of political movements and systems of government in Antigua and Barbuda. Since Antigua's colonisation in 1632,the archipelago has seen various governments and political conflicts,as well as democratic backsliding and attempts to redevelop the country. Now,Antigua and Barbuda is a fully independent unitary parliamentary monarchy.
References
- ↑ "Ivor Bird's Pleads Not Guilty". Associated Press Worldstream. Associated Press. 11 May 1995.
- ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party » Hon. Steadroy 'Cutie' Benjamin". 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018.
- ↑ "Labour Party wins majority in parliamentary elections". BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. BBC. 11 March 1999.
- ↑ "CARIBBEAN: ANTIGUA'S NEW CABINET IS SWORN IN". BBC Monitoring Latin America - Political. BBC. 13 March 1999.
- ↑ "People in Power: Antigua and Barbuda". Cambridge International Reference on Current Affairs. May 1999.
- ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda: Cabinet reshuffle; premier to share finance portfolio". BBC Monitoring Latin America - Political. BBC. 6 January 2001.
- ↑ "Antigua: New anti-corruption legislation to be presented to parliament". BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. BBC. 22 October 2002.
- ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda exempts work permit requirements for non-nationals". BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. BBC. 23 May 2003.
- ↑ "Antigua: New parliament session opens with swearing-in ceremony". BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. BBC. 30 March 2004.
- ↑ "Antiguan opposition leader denies plans to form new party". BBC Monitoring Latin America - Political. BBC. 20 December 2005.
- ↑ "Antigua premier appoints political rival as his deputy". BBC Monitoring Latin America - Political. BBC. 8 February 2007.
- ↑ Staff, Editorial (19 January 2023). "ABLP claims narrow victory at the polls - Antigua News !" . Retrieved 30 January 2025. Antigua.news
- ↑ Independence ceremonial parade and national awards (Wednesday 1st November 2023) , retrieved 1 November 2023