Parliament name |
Parliament |
Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
Chamber name |
House of Representatives |
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Senate
|
BACKGROUND |
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
21 March 2018 |
Purpose of elections |
Prime Minister Gaston Browne's Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) won a second consecutive election, taking 15 of the 17 seats at stake in the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister's wife, Ms. Maria Bird-Browne - granddaughter of the nation's founding father, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird - was elected to parliament for the first time. At 26, she is the youngest MP in the country's history. On 26 March, Mr. Browne was sworn in for a second term as Prime Minister. The newly appointed 17-member Senate comprises nine women (52.94%) up from 5 (33.33%) in 2014.
The 2018 elections were held 15 months before they were constitutionally due in June 2019. The Prime Minister stated he needed "to provide investors with predictability, to prove stability, to provide continuity". The major parties focused on the economy and the tourism industry. The ABLP ran on the government's record while the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), now led by former finance minister Harold Lovell, accused the government of mismanagement. |
Date of previous elections: 12 June 2014
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 26 February 2018
Timing of election: Early elections
Expected date of next elections: March 2023
Number of seats at stake: 17 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 53
Percentage of women candidates: Not available.
Number of parties contesting the election: 7
Number of parties winning seats: 3
Alternation of power: No
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP)
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 26 March 2018
Name of the new Speaker: Sir Gerald Watt QC (appointed member) |
STATISTICS |
Voter turnout |
Round no 1 | 21 March 2018 |
Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes |
51'258 39'120 (76.32%)
|
Notes
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Distribution of votes |
Round no 1
|
Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United Progressive Party (UPP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barbuda People's Movement (BPM) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distribution of seats |
Round no 1
|
Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) |
15
|
|
|
|
|
United Progressive Party (UPP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
Barbuda People's Movement (BPM) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men Women Percent of women |
16 2 11.11%
|
Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
Distribution of seats according to profession |
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Comments |
The House of Representatives, elected in March 2018, comprises 18 members in all: 17 directly-elected members, including the Attorney General, and one appointed member, the Speaker.
Sources:
Parliament (04.04.2018)
http://www.abec.gov.ag/elections_2018/votesbyconstituency.php
https://antiguaobserver.com
http://www.caribbeanelections.com/ag/elections/ag_results_2018.asp |