| Constitutional monarchy | |
 | |
| Formation | 1 November 1981 |
|---|---|
| Founding document | Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda |
| Country | Antigua and Barbuda |
| Website | https://ab.gov.ag |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Meeting place | Parliament Building |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister |
| Main body | Cabinet |
| Headquarters | Office of the Prime Minister |
| Judicial branch | |
| Court | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court |
|
|---|
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GOAB), is a unitary constitutional monarchy, where the Monarch of Antigua and Barbuda serves as the head of state, represented by the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, and the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda serves as the head of government.[1]
Structure edit
Antigua and Barbuda has a bicameral legislature and multiple political parties, with universal adult suffrage and elections held every 5 years. The Senate has 17 members appointed by the Governor-General, with 10 being appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, 4 on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, one on the advice of the Barbuda Council, one resident of Barbuda on the advice of the Prime Minister, and one at the discretion of the Governor-General. The House of Representatives with 17 members are all elected.[2]
The highest law in Antigua and Barbuda is the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda. Officers of each house (President, Vice President; Speaker, Deputy Speaker) are all elected by members of those houses. The Cabinet is appointed by the Prime Minister, and members of the Cabinet must be either a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives. Elections are held every 5 years, however, elections may be called earlier by the Prime Minister.[1]
History edit
The government has been elected since 1984, which was the first election after independence in 1981.[3] Before independence, the Antigua and Barbuda had previously been an associated state, and earlier a British colony.[4] The first universal adult suffrage elections in Antigua and Barbuda were held in 1951.[5]
The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party has dominated the country since independence, except from 2004 to 2014, when the country was ruled by the United Progressive Party.[6][7][8]
Executive branch edit
Antigua and Barbuda appointed its newest cabinet on 20 January 2023.[9]
Prime Minister edit
_(cropped).jpg)
The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of government of the Antigua and Barbuda. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is appointed by the Governor-General under the terms of the Constitution.
The executive branch of government is established in section 68 of the constitution, and it is vested in the monarch. The prime minister is appointed by the Governor-General. The prime minister must either be a member of the House and the leader of the political party with the support of the majority of the House's members; or the member of the House who, in the opinion of the Governor-General, is most likely to command the support of the majority of members of the House, if it appears to him that such party does not have an indisputable leader in the House or that no party commands the support of such a majority. Additionally, the nominee ought to be open to serving as prime minister.[10][11]
Only the Prime Minister or, in his absence, the Minister the Prime Minister appoints in that regard, may call the Cabinet to order.[10][11] Under section 73 of the constitution, the Governor General must revoke the appointment of the Prime Minister in the event that the House passes a resolution declaring its lack of confidence in the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister fails to resign from office or advise the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament within seven days of the resolution's passage.[10][11] If parliament is dissolved, and a prime minister must be appointed, a person who was a member of the House immediately before the dissolution may be appointed as Prime Minister or any other Minister, and a person who was a member of the Senate immediately before the dissolution may be appointed as any Minister other than Prime Minister.[10][11]
The Governor-General may authorize another member of the Cabinet to perform those functions (other than the functions conferred by section 74(2) of the constitution) when the Prime Minister is not present in Antigua and Barbuda or is unable to do so due to illness or because of the restrictions of section 73(4) of this Constitution. That member may perform those functions until the Governor-General revokes his authority.[10][11]
Cabinet edit
The Cabinet of Antigua and BarbudaCite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page). is the executive branch of the government of Antigua and Barbuda. Section 70(1) of the Constitution establishes the Cabinet.[12] The Cabinet is made up of the Prime Minister and as many other Ministers as the Prime Minister deems necessary, one of whom will be the Attorney-General and will be nominated in accordance with section 69 of the Constitution.[12] Only the Prime Minister or, in his absence, the Minister the Prime Minister appoints in that regard, may call the Cabinet to order.[12]
The Governor-General may authorize another member of the Cabinet to perform those functions (other than the functions conferred by subsection (2) of this section) when the Prime Minister is not present in Antigua and Barbuda or is unable to do so due to illness or because of the restrictions of section 73(4) of this Constitution. That member may perform those functions until the Governor-General revokes his authority.[12]
A Secretary to the Cabinet is employed, and their position will be public. In accordance with any instructions the Prime Minister may give him, the Secretary to the Cabinet, who will be in charge of the Cabinet office, is in charge of organizing the agenda for the Cabinet meetings, maintaining the minutes of those meetings, relaying the decisions made by the Cabinet to the proper parties, among other duties as the Prime Minister may specify. Before beginning his official duties, the Secretary to the Cabinet must take the oath of secrecy and sign it.[12]
| Office | Office Holder | Constituency |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister
Minister of Finance, Corporate Governance, and Public and Private Partnerships |
Gaston Browne | St. John's City West |
| Attorney General
Minister of Legal Affairs, Public Safety and Labour |
Steadroy Benjamin | St. John's City South |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Trade and Barbuda Affairs | E.P. Chet Greene | St. Paul |
| Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment | Charles Fernandez | St. John's Rural North |
| Minister of Information, ICTs, Utilities and Energy | Melford Nicholas | St. John's City East |
| Minister of Housing, Works, Land & Urban Renewal | Maria Browne | St. John's Rural East |
| Minister of Education, Creative Industries and Sports | Daryl Matthew | St. John's Rural South |
| Minister of Health, the Environment, and Social Transformation | Molwyn Joseph | St. Mary's North |
Legislative branch edit
The Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda consists of the King of Antigua and Barbuda, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Section 27 of the Constitution establishes the Parliament. Parliament has the authority to enact laws for Antigua and Barbuda's peace, order, and well-being as long as they adhere to the terms of the Constitution. In accordance with the guidelines in section 47, Parliament may amend any clause in the Constitution or the Supreme Court's order. A law that would amend the Constitution or a Supreme Court ruling would not be considered passed by the House unless it received approval from at least two-thirds of all House members at its final reading.[13][14]
No member of either House of Parliament may participate in that House's proceedings (except than those required for the purposes of section 48) unless he has taken the oath of loyalty before that House and subscribed to it: However, before the members of the Senate or the House, depending on the situation, have taken and signed such an oath, elections for the positions of President, Vice President, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker may still take place. Any person who is a member of the House by virtue of holding the office of Speaker or by virtue of holding or functioning in the office of Attorney-General is referred to as a member of the House in section 48.[13][14]
According to section 51 of the constitution, any issue put to a vote in a House of Parliament must be decided by a majority of the members present and voting, unless otherwise specified in the Constitution. Except as otherwise specified in this section, the President or other member presiding in the Senate and the Speaker or other person presiding in the House shall have and exercise a casting vote in the event that the votes are evenly divided on any question: With the exception that a Speaker or other member presiding in the House who is an elected member of the House shall have an original vote but no casting vote in the case of the question of the final reading of a bill as is referenced in section 47(2) of the Constitution. If the votes on any subject before the House are evenly divided while such a Speaker is in office, the motion will be defeated. A Speaker who is not an elected member of the House shall have neither an original nor a casting vote.[13][14]
The 16th Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda was sworn in on January 20th, 2023.[15]
Judicial branch edit
The judiciary of Antigua and Barbuda is an independent branch of the Antiguan and Barbudan government, subject to the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda. Even though the Office of the Attorney General in the executive branch appoints magistrates, the judicial branch is mostly independent of the other two branches. The Magistrate's Court handles minor offenses, while the High Court handles major ones, makes up the judiciary. A matter must be sent to the Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court, whose members are chosen by the OECS, in order to move past the High Court. The heads of state in the OECS system must unanimously approve any appointments or removals of Supreme Court magistrates. The attorney general's advice is the basis for the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda's decision-making on this court.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).
References edit
- ^ a b "Antigua and Barbuda: Constitution, 1981". pdba.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda - Political and electoral system". Gender Equality Observatory. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda General Election Results 1984". web.archive.org. 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1967/225/contents/made
- ^ Group, Taylor & Francis (2004). Europa World Year. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-85743-254-1.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda General Election Results 2004". web.archive.org. 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda General Election Results 2009". web.archive.org. 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda General Election Results 2014". web.archive.org. 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ Editor (2023-01-20). "2023 Cabinet positions announced (Full List)". Antigua News Room. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda :0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda :1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e http://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-23.pdf
- ^ a b c
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c http://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-23.pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ https://antiguaobserver.com/browne-sworn-in-as-prime-minister-benjamin-retains-ag-post/
