Politics of Antigua and Barbuda
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
The politics of Antigua and Barbuda takes place in a framework of a
Antigua and Barbuda has a long history of free elections, three of which have resulted in peaceful changes of government. Since the
The elections to the House of Representatives were held on 12 June 2014. The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party government was elected with fourteen seats. The United Progressive Party had three seats in the House of Representatives.[2] ABLP won 15 of the 17 seats in the 2018 snap election under the leadership of incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne.[3]
Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the eastern Caribbean court system. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.
Executive branch
Ministers
By issuing written instructions, the Governor-General, acting in accordance with the Prime Minister's recommendation, may delegate to the Prime Minister or any other Minister responsibility for any government operation, including the management of any department. The Governor-General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, may appoint a member of the House or a Senator to act in the office of such Minister during such absence or illness when a Minister is unable to perform his or her duties because of his or her absence from Antigua and Barbuda or because of illness.[4]
A minister other than the prime minister must resign from their position if they are appointed or reappointed as prime minister, stop serving as a member of the House of Parliament from among the members of which they were appointed, or if the Governor-General, acting on the advice of the prime minister, revokes their appointment.[4] When a Minister other than the Prime Minister is compelled by section 31(2) or section 41 of the Constitution to stop serving in the House to which he belongs, he must also stop serving in any capacity as a Minister at that time.[4]
Before beginning their official duties, the Prime Minister, each other Minister, and each Parliamentary Secretary must take and sign the oaths of office, allegiance, and confidentiality.[4]Parliamentary secretaries
Permanent secretaries
Executive branch leadership
As head of state, King Charles III is represented in Antigua and Barbuda by a governor-general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet.[5]
Legislative branch
Antigua and Barbuda elects on national level a legislature.
There are special legislative provisions to account for Barbuda's low population relative to that of Antigua. Barbuda is guaranteed one member of the House of Representatives and two members of the Senate. In addition, there is a Barbuda Council to govern the internal affairs of the island.
Political parties and elections
Administrative divisions
The country is divided into six parishes,
Judicial branch
Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. This court is headquartered in Saint Lucia, but at least one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Antigua and Barbuda, and presides over the High Court of Justice. The current High Court judges are Jennifer Remy and Keith Thom.[6]
Antigua is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice, although it has not yet acceded to Part III of the 2001 Agreement Establishing a Caribbean Court of Justice.[7] Its supreme appellate court therefore remains the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Indeed, of the signatories to the Agreement,[7] as of December 2010, only Barbados has replaced appeals to Her Majesty in Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice.
In addition to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Antigua and Barbuda has a Magistrates' Court, which deals with lesser civil and criminal cases.[8]
Movements
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Antigua Trades and Labour Union
- People's Democratic Movement
International organisation participation
- Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
- ALBA
- Caribbean Community
- Caribbean Development Bank
- Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
- Commonwealth of Nations
- United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Food and Agriculture Organization
- Group of 77
- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- International Civil Aviation Organization
- International Criminal Court
- International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
- International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- International Fund for Agricultural Development
- International Finance Corporation
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
- International Labour Organization
- International Monetary Fund
- International Maritime Organization
- Intelsat (nonsignatory user)
- Interpol
- International Olympic Committee
- International Telecommunication Union
- Non-Aligned Movement (observer)
- Organization of American States
- Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
- OPANAL
- United Nations
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- UNESCO
- Universal Postal Union
- World Confederation of Labour
- World Federation of Trade Unions
- World Health Organization
- World Meteorological Organization
- World Trade Organization
References
- ^ "Caribbean Elections Biography | Winston Baldwin Spencer". www.caribbeanelections.com.
- ^ "IFES Election Guide | Elections: Antigua and Barbuda House of Representatives 2014". www.electionguide.org.
- ^ "Speculation about early election in Antigua". Barbados Today. 12 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n http://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-23.pdf
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda Country Profile". www.caribbeanelections.com.
- ^ Judicial Officers of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in Antigua and Barbuda Archived 18 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Agreement Establishing a Caribbean Court of Justice Archived 14 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, available here.
- ^ Antiguan and Barbudan criminal court system diagram