Short facts about the government of Antigua and Barbuda
| Country
name: |
conventional long
form: none
conventional short form:
Antigua and Barbuda |
| Government
type: |
constitutional monarchy with UK-style
parliament |
| Administrative divisions: |
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*;
Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint
Peter, Saint Philip |
| Independence: |
1 November 1981 (from
UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 1 November
(1981) |
| Constitution: |
1 November
1981 |
| Legal
system: |
based on English common
law |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993)
head of government:
Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister;
prime minister appointed by the governor
general |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Parliament consists of the
Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of
Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to
serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last
held 9 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)
election
results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ALP 12, UPP 4,
independent 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based
in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and
presides over the Court of Summary
Jurisdiction) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester
Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United
Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition
parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation
Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or
PLM) |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU
[William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh
MARSHALL] |
| International organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory
user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST
chancery: 3216 New
Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202)
362-5211
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s)
general: Miami |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
the US does not have an embassy in
Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados
is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
| Flag
description: |
red, with an inverted isosceles
triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three
horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun
in the black band | Source: World Factbook |
