At stake in this election:

• 17 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD
• Assembly: Antigua and Barbuda has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 17 seats and the House of Representatives with 17 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor-General James B. CARLISLE.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is hereditary N/A.
• In the Senate 17 members are appointed to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 17 members are elected by simple majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.**

* In the Senate, 17 members are appointed by the governor general to serve 5-year terms.

** One House of Representatives seat is reserved for the island of Barbuda.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Antigua Labour Party (ALP)
  • Leader: Lester Bryant BIRD
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 12
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 11
• Party: United Progressive Party (UPP)
  • Leader: Baldwin SPENCER
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 4
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 5
• Party: Barbuda People's Movement (BPM)
  • Leader: Thomas Hilbourne FRANK
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 1
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 1
• Party: Other parties and independent candidates
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on March 9, 1994.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 64,006 (July 1998 est.)
• Registered Voters: 52,385 (1999)