At Stake in this Election:  

• 17 of the 19 seats in the Antigua and Barbudan House of Representatives 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: King Charles III (since 09 Sept 2022) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Gaston Alphonso BROWNE (since 03 Jul 2014) 

• Assembly: bicameral Parliament with 17-seat Senate and up to 19-seat House of Representatives. 

Electoral System: 

• The King is a hereditary monarch. He is represented by a Governor General.  

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor General, but must be the leader of the political party which has a majority in the House of Representatives. 

• All 17 members of the Senate are appointed by the Governor General. 11 members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister. Four members are appointed on the advice of the leader of the opposition. One member is appointed based on the advice of the Barbuda Council. The remaining member is appointed at the Governor General’s discretion.  

• 17 of the 19 members of the House of Representatives are directly elected by plurality vote in single member constituencies to a five-year term. The remaining two seats are held for the Speaker of the House and Attorney General, although the latter may not vote in the body. 

Last Election: 

In the last election in 2023, the Labour Party won a majority of seats with 9. Voter turnout was 70%.  

New/Unique in this Election: 

In April 2026, the Prime Minister dissolved Parliament and triggered a snap election. Elections had been previously expected in 2028 at the end of the normal term. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 13 Apr 2026 

• Voter registration deadline: 14 Apr 2026 

Main Parties in this Election: 

• Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party (ABLP) 

• • Leader: Gaston Browne 

• • Seats won in the last election: 9 seats out of 17 

• United progressive Party (UPP) 

• • Leader: Jamale Pringle 

• • Seats won in the last election: 6 seats out of 17 

• Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM) 

• • Leader: Trevor Walker 

• • Seats won in the last election: 1 seat out of 17 

Country Context: 

• Population: 93,772 (2024 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 61,811 (2026)  

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: Not available 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Not available 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.851, Very High, rank 53 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 49,139 (2024 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Acceded 01 Aug 1989 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 1 out of 17 (5.9%) in the House of Representatives and 7 out of 17 (41.2%) in the Senate.  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Not available. 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 Mar 2007, Ratified 07 Jan 2016 

• Projected population with a disability: 15,004 (2024 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: Yes, 2 Judgements