Fallow deer; national colors: red, white, blue, black, yellow.
Title | Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee |
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Lyric/music | Novelle Hamilton RICHARDS/Walter Garnet Picart CHAMBERS |
Date of Independence | 1 November 1981 (from the UK) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 1 November (1981) |
Legal system | common law based on the English model |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | Several previous; latest presented 31 July 1981, effective 31 October 1981 (The Antigua and Barbuda Constitution Order 1981) |
Amendments | Proposed by either house of Parliament; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as citizenship, fundamental rights and freedoms, the establishment, power, and authority of the executive and legislative branches, the Supreme Court Order, and the procedure for amending the constitution requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership of both houses, approval by at least two-thirds majority in a referendum, and assent to by the governor general; passage of other amendments requires only two-thirds majority vote by both houses; amended 2009, 2011, 2018 |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | yes |
Citizenship by descent only | yes |
Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 7 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Rodney WILLIAMS (since 14 August 2014) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Gaston BROWNE (since 13 June 2014) |
Cabinet | Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and leader of the opposition; members served 5-year terms) House of Representatives (19 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms; in addition, 1 ex-officio seat is allocated for the attorney general and 1 seat for the speaker of the House - elected by the House membership following its first post-election session) |
Elections | Senate - last appointed on 17 February 2023 (next appointments in 2028) House of Representatives - last held on 18 January 2023 (next to be held in March 2028) |
Election results | Senate - composition - men 10, women 7, percentage women 41.2% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - ABLP 47.1%, UPP 45.2%, BPM 1.5%, independent 5.2%; seats by party - ABLP 9, UPP 6, BPM 1, independent 1; composition - men 17, women 1, percentage women 5.6%; total Parliament percentage women 22.9% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, travelling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 assigned to Antigua and Barbuda |
Judge selection and term of office | Chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the His Majesty, King CHARLES III; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 |
Subordinate courts | Industrial Court; Magistrates' Courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Sir Ronald SANDERS (since 17 September 2015) |
Chancery | 3216 New Mexico Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 362-5122 |
FAX | [1] (202) 362-5225 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.antigua-barbuda.org/Aghome01.htm |
Consulate(s) general | Miami, New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | The US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 1 (cultural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Antigua Naval Dockyard |
Want to know more about Antigua and Barbuda? Check all different factbooks for Antigua and Barbuda below.