Antigua and Barbuda prime minister set to win fourth term in election | Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda prime minister Gaston Browne is poised to win a fourth term in the country’s snap general election, with preliminary results showing his party on track to win 15 of the 17 seats in parliament.
Addressing his supporters early on Friday morning, Browne said: “You spoke, you spoke clearly. You stated that the Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party (ABLP) is the best institution to govern this country.”
Jamale Pringle, leader of the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), was the only member of his party to win the seat.
Pringle defeated former party member Lamin Newton, one of five UPP members who defected to the ABLP before the election.
Trevor Walker, leader of another opposition party, the Barbuda People’s Movement, won the constituency of Barbuda, half of the twin island nation.
The election campaign took place in an unstable political environment, with concerns about shifting party allegiances, the cost of living and the impact of global instability such as US visa restrictions.
There have been three by-elections since the last election in 2023, including one triggered by the murder of independent MP Asot Michael.
Caribbean political analyst Peter Wickham described Browne’s re-election to a fourth term as “impressive” and attributed the victory to turmoil among the opposition.
“Ironically, the only seat they saved was Pringle’s. But the truth is that the rest of the country has not chosen to make a significant investment in it… There have already been divisions in the UPP that suggest dissatisfaction with its leadership, and I think this outcome actually determines its future fate.”
The Prime Minister called the election days after the party captured a key by-election in St Philip’s North, part of a ward in the east of the island, with Wickham suggesting Browne “was able to identify an opportunity and take advantage of it”.
The victory came despite the country feeling the pinch of global pressures following recent developments such as the Middle East conflict, which has had economic consequences such as rising fuel prices.
Browne used these concerns during the election to encourage voters to reject the change of government.
“We are offering a renaissance in changing times,” he told voters. “Don’t take chances on election day for a leader and a team that isn’t ready yet. Let’s keep Antigua and Barbuda in strong and safe hands.”
The opposition campaign focused on the Trump administration’s decision in January to suspend U.S. visa processing for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.
Washington had expressed concerns about a program in which foreigners could obtain citizenship in the Caribbean country by investing. He argued that criminals could take advantage of this plan to enter the United States.
The move was a major blow to locals who regularly travel to the US for business. The Browne administration said it was working with Washington and was already making reforms to make the citizenship by investment program more robust and transparent.
But Wickham said Browne’s win, despite “Trump hammering him hard”, showed voters realized “this is nothing”. [Antiguan] The government has control’.
He added: “This is something that is under the control of the American government, and the American government, especially the American president, is very unpopular right now.”
