Antigua and Barbuda: Parliament, 21 March 2018

At stake in this election:

• The 17 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen Elizabeth II (appoints a Governor-General to represent her; since 2007, the Governor-General has been Louise LAKE-TACK)
• Head of Government: Prime Minister (Winston) Baldwin SPENCER
• Assembly: Antigua & Barbuda has a bicameral Parliament. The Senate has 17 appointed seats and the House of Representatives has 17 elected seats

Description of electoral system:

• The Governor-General, on advice of the Prime Minister, is appointed by the monarch to serve at Her Majesty’s Pleasure
• The Prime Minister, after legislative elections, is usually the leader of the majority party (or coalition) appointed by the Governor-General
• In the Parliament, the 17 members of the Senate are elected by the Governor-General.  The 17 members of the House of Representatives are elected by proportional representation to serve 5-year terms

Election Note:

• Prime Minister (Winston) Baldwin Spencer announced in May 2014 that the election was scheduled for June 12, 2014. Elections have been expected since March 2014 when the constitution mandated they be held. Polls are being monitored by regional organizations such as the Organization for American States (OAS) and by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Political entities in this electoral race:

• United Progressive Party (UPP)
  • Leader: (Winston) Harold LOVELL
  • Seats won in last Assembly elections: 3
• Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ALP or ABLP)
  • Leader: Gaston BROWNE
  • Seats won in last Assembly elections: 14
• Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM)
  • Leader: Trevor WALKER
  • Seats won in last Assembly elections: 0
• Antigua Barbuda True Labour Party (ABTLP)
  • Leader: Sharlene WARNER SAMUEL
  • Seats won in last Assembly elections: 0
• Democratic National Alliance (DNA)
  • Leader: Joane M. MASSIAH
  • Seats won in last Assembly eleciton: 0
• Go Green For Life (GGL)
  • Leader: Owen GEORGE
  • Seats won in last Assembly elections: 0
• Missing Link VOP
  • Leader: Nigel BASCUS
  • Seats won in last Assembly elections: 0

Last election:

• The last election to the House of Representatives in Antigua and Barbuda was held on 12 June 2014. The election pitted the majority United Progressive Party (UPP), in power since 2004, against the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ALP). The ALP won a majority of 14 (out of 17) seats, while the UPP kept just 3 seats. won 1 seat. The next leading party received 1.13% of the vote.

Population and Voter Registration:

• Population: 91,295 (July 2014 est)
• Registered Voters: 47,721 (June 2014)