Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
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The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of government of Antigua and Barbuda. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is appointed by the Governor-General. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet, selects its ministers, and exercises much of the executive powers afforded to the office under the Constitution. The prime minister holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Representatives, of which they must be an elected member of.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
The power of the prime minister has fluctuated throughout the position's existence. While the Governor-General has been described as the de facto head of state, in whom all executive power is vested in, the prime minister has always been the head of government and has exercised his powers similar in fashion to an executive president in most liberal democracies. The prime minister, along with Cabinet, is responsible for proposing new legislation and setting an agenda, usually codified by acts of parliament or statutory instruments.
The history of such an office began in 1872 with the colonial president, who oversaw the island in subordination to the island's governor. This office was later superseded by the positions of administrator, chief minister, and premier, each of which gaining more executive power as the islands moved toward independence. Four men have served as prime minister, the first being Vere Bird taking office on 1 November 1981. The longest serving prime minister was also Vere Bird, who served for 12 years, and the shortest serving was his son Lester, who served for ten years. Gaston Browne succeeded Baldwin Spencer as prime minister on 13 June 2014, following the 2014 general election.
History
Since colonial times, various officials have acted as the head of government in Antigua and Barbuda. In 1872, the position of colonial president was established, which was the first time that executive functions were fully separated from the archipelago's governor. The president of Antigua essentially exercised the same functions that the governor of Antigua had prior to being assigned responsibility over the entire British Leeward Islands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the abolition of the presidency, the position of administrator was established, who took up residence in Government House and eventually had a major power expansion in the 1959 constitutional amendment. The position of administrator still remained more akin to a subordinated governor rather than that of the modern day prime minister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 1 January 1960, the position of chief minister was established, the inaugural holder being Vere Bird. The chief minister was appointed by the administrator and was the member of the now-elected Legislative Council who could command the support of the majority of members. The chief minister was also granted the ability to form an Executive Council, which has since been replaced by the Cabinet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The direct precursor to the position of prime minister was that of premier, which was first proposed during the 1966 Antigua Constitutional Conference in the prelude to associated statehood. On 27 February 1967, the position of administrator was abolished and the island's head of government became once again directly subordinated to the now fully-local governor. Legally, the position of premier was nearly identical to that of the prime minister today– the premier was appointed by the governor and a Westminster system was established.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The creation of the office of premier also coincided with the start of presidentialisation in Antiguan and Barbudan politics, with Antiguans and Barbudans beginning to feel that they themselves elected their premier and that their premier was the de facto figurehead of the emerging nation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the 1971 general election that put George Walter into power, candidates for the premiership began to directly accuse each other of corruption and responsibility for their party's actions, introducing the premier as the new leader of Antiguan and Barbudan society. This continued until the independence process of Antigua and Barbuda starting in the late 1970s.<ref>https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/28042/1/Gascoigne_206049269_Thesis%20%281%29.pdf</ref>
The position of prime minister was for the most part legally identical to that of the premier. The prime minister was now appointed by a governor-general and similarly required the confidence of the House of Representatives in order to be appointed to the role. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Vere Bird, with the support of Parliament, began to consolidate power in a manner that established him as the "father of the nation" and essentially gave him complete control of the military and economy.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite web</ref> The Bird family's grip on power continued throughout the 1990s and early 2000s with the rise of Lester Bird to the premiership. Lester Bird used his control of the security forces and media to aid the expansion of prime ministerial powers, along with falsified elections that created a political dynasty and ended Antigua and Barbuda's status as a full democracy.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":03">Template:Cite web</ref> However, reforms in 2001 caused a reduction of the prime minister's unofficial hard power and the start of the modern Antiguan and Barbudan political system.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Today, the prime minister continues to be considered by the public as the face of Antiguan and Barbudan politics as well as the leader of the country. The prime minister is a public figure who makes binding decisions on the central government's agenda<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and tends to face little obstacles from the governing party and Parliament.<ref name="flybynight">"Stanford Financial Chief Tried to Flee Country: Source", CNBC, February 18, 2009.</ref> As all prime ministers have been the leaders of their respective parties, the prime minister also tends to have influence over the party's candidate slate and ideology.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Selection process
The Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda regulates that the prime minister must be a member of the House of Representatives who is the leader in the House of the political party that has the support of the majority of members of the House of Representatives. If there is no party that has an undisputed leader, or no party that maintains the support of the majority of the House of Representatives, the Governor-General may appoint a member that is most likely to maintain the support of the majority of the members, and who is willing to hold the role of prime minister.
As an elected member of the House of Representatives, the prime minister must also:
- be a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda at least 21 years of age;
- reside in Antigua and Barbuda for at least twelve months prior to election;
- and be able to speak and read English, unless incapacitated by blindness, with sufficient proficiency to participate in House proceedings.
If a prime minister must be appointed while Parliament is dissolved, then, a person who was a member of the House of Representatives immediately before the dissolution may be appointed as prime minister.<ref name=":1" />
All prime ministers have been the leader of their political party, thus, a prospective prime minister must first be elected as party leader during the party convention that is usually held biennially.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Acting prime minister
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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
Responsibilities
The prime minister advises the Governor-General on appointments to the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda. Only the Prime Minister or, in his absence, the Minister the Prime Minister appoints in that regard, may call the Cabinet to order.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Under section 73 of the constitution, the Governor-General must dismiss the Prime Minister or dissolve parliament in the event of a successful vote of no confidence.<ref name=":1" />
List
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the prime ministers of Antigua and Barbuda. They are listed in order of first assuming office.
<timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:21 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:150 left:20 AlignBars = late
Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}
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id:ablp value:rgb(0.93,0.2,0.13) legend:Antigua_and_Barbuda_Labour_Party id:plm value:rgb(0,0.45,0.78) legend:Progressive_Labour_Movement id:upp value:rgb(0,0.06,0.44) legend:United_Progressive_Party
id:gray1 value:gray(0.85) id:gray2 value:gray(0.95)
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1960 till:31/12/{{#expr:{{#time:Y}}+1}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1960 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1960
Legend = columns:1 left:150 top:50 columnwidth:170
TextData =
pos:(25,55) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political party:"
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bar:VBird bar:Walter bar:LBird bar:Spencer bar:Browne
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width:5 align:left fontsize:9 shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
bar:VBird from: 01/01/1960 till: 14/02/1971 color:ablp from: 19/02/1976 till: 09/03/1994 color:ablp text:"Vere Bird" bar:Walter from: 14/02/1971 till: 19/02/1976 color:plm text:"George Walter" bar:LBird from: 09/03/1994 till: 24/03/2004 color:ablp text:"Lester Bird" bar:Spencer from: 24/03/2004 till: 13/06/2014 color:upp text:"Baldwin Spencer" bar:Browne from: 13/06/2014 till: $today color:ablp text:"Gaston Browne"
</timeline>
The following chart lists prime ministers by lifespan (living prime ministers on the green line), with the years outside of their premiership in beige.
<timeline> Define $width = 1000 # 7.69 pixels per year ($end - $start) × 7.69 Define $warning = 880 # $width - 120 Define $height = 275 # 5 × 25 + 150 Define $footnote = 600 # $width - 400
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Define $dy = -5 # shift text to button side of bar Define $start = 01/01/1900 # Just before eldest (Vere Bird) was born Define $end = 01/01/2030 # Next 5-year multiple after this year Define $now = {{#time:d/m/Y}}
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id:lightline value:rgb(0.8, 0.8, 0.8)
id:lighttext value:rgb(0.5, 0.5, 0.5)
id:LIFESPAN value:rgb(0.88, 0.90, 0.70) Legend: Lifespan
id:ABLP value:rgb(0.93, 0.2, 0.13) Legend: Antigua_and_Barbuda_Labour_Party
id:PLM value:rgb(0, 0.45, 0.78) Legend: Progressive_Labour_Movement
id:UPP value:rgb(0, 0.06, 0.44) Legend: United_Progressive_Party
id:NAME value:rgb(0.15, 0.13, 0.05)
id:TODAY value:green
BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightline unit:year increment:1 start:$start ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lighttext unit:year increment:10 start:1900
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at:$now color:TODAY width:0.1
PlotData=
bar:1 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M from:09/12/1909 till:01/01/1960 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Vere Bird color:ABLP from:01/01/1960 till:14/02/1971 color:LIFESPAN from:14/02/1971 till:19/02/1976 color:ABLP from:19/02/1976 till:09/03/1994 color:LIFESPAN from:09/03/1994 till:28/06/1999
bar:2 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M from:08/09/1928 till:14/02/1971 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:George Walter color:PLM from:14/02/1971 till:19/02/1976 color:LIFESPAN from:19/02/1976 till:04/03/2008
bar:3 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M from:21/02/1938 till:09/03/1994 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Lester Bird color:ABLP from:09/03/1994 till:24/03/2004 color:LIFESPAN from:24/03/2004 till:09/08/2021
bar:4 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M from:08/10/1948 till:24/03/2004 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Baldwin Spencer color:UPP from:24/03/2004 till:13/06/2014 color:LIFESPAN from:13/06/2014 till:$now
bar:5 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M from:09/02/1967 till:13/06/2014 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Gaston Browne color:ABLP from:13/06/2014 till:$now
TextData =
fontsize:M textcolor:green pos:($warning,30) text:Updated 12/2025
TextData =
pos:(340,$height) fontsize:L textcolor:black text:"Lifespan of each Antiguan and Barbudan prime minister"</timeline>
The following chart shows prime ministers by their age (living prime ministers in green), with the years of their premiership in blue.
<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:100 PlotArea = width:900 height:70 left:80 bottom:30 AlignBars = justify
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id:pre value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7) # grey id:prem value:rgb(0,0,1) # blue id:post value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7) # grey id:alive value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5) # green
Period = from:0 till:90 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = gridcolor:black unit:year increment:10 start:0 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:0
PlotData=
align:center width:8 shift:(0,-0)
bar:VereTemplate:SpBird color:pre from:0 till:50.06 bar:VereTemplate:SpBird color:prem from:50.04 till:61.18 bar:VereTemplate:SpBird color:post from:61.18 till:66.2 bar:VereTemplate:SpBird color:prem from:66.2 till:84.25 bar:VereTemplate:SpBird color:post from:84.25 till:89.55
bar:Walter color:pre from:0 till:42.44 bar:Walter color:prem from:42.44 till:47.45 bar:Walter color:post from:47.45 till:79.49
bar:LesterTemplate:SpBird color:pre from:0 till:56.04 bar:LesterTemplate:SpBird color:prem from:56.04 till:66.09 bar:LesterTemplate:SpBird color:post from:66.09 till:83.46
bar:Spencer color:alive from:0 till:55.46 bar:Spencer color:prem from:55.46 till:65.68 bar:Spencer color:alive from:65.68 till:Template:A.y
bar:Browne color:alive from:0 till:47.34 bar:Browne color:prem from:47.34 till:Template:A.y
</timeline>
References
Template:Reflist Template:Government of Antigua and Barbuda works
See also
- Politics of Antigua and Barbuda
- Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation
- Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda
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