SOURCE: TFIGLOBALNEWS.COM
Antigua and Barbuda holds elections typically every four years in the month of March. The polls, however, were held in 2023 two months earlier. In December 2022, Prime Minister Gaston Browne finally announced that the next general elections would be taking place on January 18, 2023. However, after the results, one could easily conclude that Mr. Browne did a blunder as he has lost both popularity and electoral mandates.
The results of Antigua and Barbuda are out. Prime Minister Gaston Browne led the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and has won a nail-biting victory by winning just nine of the 17 seats for a third consecutive term in office, according to the preliminary results released.
With this, Prime Minister Browne has become the first government leader in the country to win three consecutive general elections, headed by the victorious ABLP candidates. But, ABLP has significantly lost the ground it had held for years.
The party won fifteen of the seventeen seats in the 2018 general election. Whereas this year the party has lost crucial seats to the opposition UPP.
UPP is back in the game!
Harold Lovell, the leader of the opposition, has tendered his resignation as UPP leader. But he has been able to revive Antigua and Barbuda’s opposition.
The UPP is currently in an excellent position, the best since 2009. In that year, UPP held seven seats. The UPP, however, was unable to win even four seats in 2014 or 2018. As UPP only held one seat, the 2018 elections were the worst for the opposition.
Jamaica-based pollster, Don Anderson, who had conducted several opinion polls prior to the general election, said while the UPP “will do much better than they did in 2018,” it failed to drive home the issues during the campaign.
“The shift we are seeing is a vital one,” Anderson said on a radio program here, noting however that the shift was not sufficient to drive the UPP home “because they started too far behind”.
Gaston Browne: political stature drowning
However, this resurgence of the opposition will cause Browne and his administration trouble when making decisions. With the addition of 9 seats, the ABLP was able to keep its majority in the House of Representatives. Yet, it will be a herculean task for Mr. Browne to appoint ten senators, though.
The outcomes also serve as a reminder that Gaston Browne no longer enjoys widespread support.
Antiguan politics has been a one-man show for the past nine years. Mr. Browne’s show. But not anymore; in Antiguan politics, the opposition has been resuscitated. Mr. Browne’s third term will unquestionably be different from what his first two terms were.
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The main problem with UPP, was keeping Harold Lovell as a candidate and head of the party afte he was defeated twice.
Why are you so concerned about UPP business? And your name doesn’t even sound like an indegeneous one. A laang dutty stuuuups.
@luis Mota
The problem is is not UPP. The problem is with the red koolaid drinkers who see nothing wrong with how country is being run. When you Mention all the self enrichment schemes, they say people jealous of Gaston. There are a lot of fooly backwards people in Antigua. And their numbers have been significantly increased by all the people Gaston allowed in the country to vote for him. As one labour supporter said that even if they bring a dog in a red shirt, she will vote for it. While at the same time she complained her son can’t get the house he paid the government for.
Don Anderson, pollster, clearly stated on ABS TV on the night of the election that the most important concern of the citizenry in answering his polling questions was their dislike of the PM’s leadership style. The leadership style of Gaston is who he really is, and the people do not like that or him. Gaston is who he is. That cannot change.
Gaston will not last this full 5 year term. Some ALP MP’s are well aged and others are very unhealthy/obese. There will be a by-election at some point and the opposition will stand a VERY good chance.
I feel a sense of pride as I vehemently believe that the time has come for Antigua, not Barbuda, to stop being the laughing stock of the Caribbean. It is full time we vote on issues and for country if we are truly a democratic society, and not on what we can get personally. We have to do better and get away from that type of system. Politicians should be held accountable when you cannot drive on good roads and don’t have water that you pay for.. It pains my heart to see Christian people and poor people who are trying to keep themselves in poverty. It therefore stands to reason that what we learn in schools and universities does nothing but gives us a paper to say we studied. With education,, our reasoning power should be much better and we should be rational beings
.
The UPP Damage it own self. Lovell should never run again as a candidate. The Antiguan public have a hatred for Lovell, Allister and Tim Hector. And I must say the comments made by PAT and HALLELUJAH AMEN are on point
Y’all notice how ABLP Ministers and the PM blaming the loss of seats and support on APUA, Public Works and everything OTHER than themselves? Chet blaming APUA and Works, Gaston saying that the losing MPs did not work hard enough in campaigning and took their seats for granted but they refuse to acknowledge that the BIGGEST LIABILITY was Gaston himself! Nobody likes him, his attitude and his “creativity”. I guess if he points his finger at himself, then he would have to go and we all know he not putting himself out voluntarily. But if the ABLP go into the next election with Gaston as leader, they lose hands down. Dislike of him will only grow this election term.
The only reason Gaston won his seat is because he was better liked than his opponent. It seems to me Antiguans doesn’t favor politicians that were ACLM aligned, Harold lovell similarly. Harold only had got a chance luckily when the population was angry with the ABLP and means they would vote for anyone
“The UPP is currently in an excellent position, the best since 2009. In that year, UPP held seven seats.”
In 2009 UPP got 10 seats and ALP got 7
Except for a few inaccuracies, a good article. Gaston Browne is under siege!
This sounds like real sweet music to my ears. I am so happy for this report. Thanks for the great job done by the Redeem Team led by Captain Harold Lovell. Things have not gone in your favor but you have fought a good fight and therefore have nothing to worry about. Special congratulations to my MP Richard Sylvester Lewis. It was a pleasure working with you in bringing back the pride to St John’s Rural ok West. I know you will do us proud and proper representation has returned to this Constituency after so many years of neglect. To the other members of the Team who did not make it, you are all winners and we will continue to fight for this our great land🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾💙💙💛💛💙💙🤍VICTORY IS OURS SAITH THE LORD
Yeesssss victory victory
The LP are obviously corrupt, with everyone in Browne’s family, down to the cat, being millionaires. That money needs to be spent on schools and healthcare, not on enriching the few.
On the other hand, the opposition’s policies will be even worse for ordinary antiguans, with a focus on enriching business at our expense and supporting anti vaccine conspiracy nuts. Antigua needs a real party for social justice, one not dependent on their corporate bosses
Arnold did you take the Covid 19 vaccine? “It is easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have being fooled” hope you can decipher that from Mark Twain
Is it illegal for bribes to be offered by politicians? How many politicians offered bribes, in the forms of money etc? If there is concrete proof of this nefarious activity, by any politician who won their seat, would you admit and resign? In some other countries, yuh go jail. Now, those voters, who know to their hearts that they accepted bribes in exchange for a vote or voter’s ID, are you in church today professing your love to god? What did you tell your children, grand children, yourself? For those non-nationals, who did the same and justified their actions by saying ‘me nah kay, meh get me extension, or passport’. You too, what are you saying n church this morning?
Awaiting some confessions.
In my opinion both parties failed miserable at the polls. When only 25% of the voting population voted speaks volumes of both parties. People are over them and their nonsense. Its like trading one for the other only different color. There is no doubt if the voters really want to make their voices be heard they would have go out and vote and no amount of money would have changed that.
@ Black Hypocrisy
Ok DNA
The prime minister of Antigua & Barbuda is a scared chicken right now. Not only is he apprehensive about the make-up of the new parliament, but also scared stiff about pending situations relating human trafficking via Antigua Airways and the saga regarding the Mehul Choksi case with INTERPOL involvement.
The PM speaks about simmering down his usual rhetoric and beginning to act statesman-like. These are clear indications that he is under undue pressure from international forces that are carefully observing the dangerous activities that has engulfed Antigua & Barbuda over the last eight years.
It is also quite likely that the electorate may be called upon to go back to the polls again in a general elections sooner than expected. The ABLP younger members may begin to see the green light that leadership in its present form is NOTHING BUT A TRAGIC DISASTER…HAPPENED, HAPPENING AND ABOUT TO EXPLODE EVEN WORSE. They need to throw the “Jonah” over board to save the ship. Obsti said it nicely: ” Drive out all the flunkies and save the labor party.” The main flunky is the top dag. A natural disaster to the party and the nation.
There is NO Way Antigua & Barbuda can survive another 5 years with this type of leadership..or rather let me say ” Misleadership.”
Food security will be a Big ISSUE in 2023. No way can this present administration steer this highly dependent nation during the worsening food crisis when it has proven that even within good times, it cannot take proper stewardship.
The parliament as is currently constituted will be of major interest. Debates should be robust. Maybe some fist fights as we see in African countries and Asian countries parliaments. The top dag will no longer get away with the usual lies and deceptions as have been common in the last eight years.
On another note, it is amazing how the people of Antigua & Barbuda have reelected such corrupt government again. It only goes to prove that the heart of man is just wicked and evil. Morality has been thrown through the window. A people gets the government it deserves and hence will suffer the negative consequences.
Antiguans: Misleaders and people: your time is at hand. The hand writing is pellucidly before you. You have chosen to continue in the EVIL.
Destruction lies at your door and it will be swift.
WORLD “CRYSIS”: YOUR END SOON COME !
A&B, people take heed. That earthquake just after the last election didn’t just happen for a joke, it happened as an eternal message. Take heed. A change is on its way ABLP. VOTERS ARE WANTED.
The biggest problem with this is Elction is the PEOPLE…the ones who woke up Thursday morning without running water, no proper roads to drive or even walked on…NONSENSE …FOOLISHNESS
“Opposition rains on Gaston Browne’s parade” Shouldn’t the writer of the article write instead “Opposition reigns on Gaston Browne’s parade?
Also the writer made some statements which were inaccurate. Elections in Antigua & Barbuda are held and constitutionally due every 5 years from since 1951 and not necessarily held in the month of March and every 4 years.The following are the dates of the past elections held in Antigua & Barbuda:-
Dec 1951
Nov 1956
Nov 1960
Nov 1965
Feb 1971
Feb 1976
April 1980
April 1980
April 1984
March 1989
March 1994
March 1999
March 2004
March 2009
June 2014
March 2018
Jan 2023
So writer please check your facts before publishing your article. Some aspects of your article I agree with and some I don’t.
@ The mirror. Rain metaphorically means damper the should have been celebratory atmosphere and outlook. Reign is associated with royalty and superiority and such like. Ebrybaddy reading this, know what is meant.
“Not too scholarly” you are missing the point. The point I was trying to make is that Gaston Browne’s one man show of running the government is now over. He will now be challenged by a strong, vibrant Opposition who will keep him on him under tremendous pressure and will rule the house of Parliament will an iron fist. Thus the reason why I used the term “reign on Gaston Browne’s parade.”
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