| Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda | |
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| Style |
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| Member of | Cabinet,National Security Council |
| Appointer | Governor-General Prime minister must have support of the majority of members of theHouse of Representatives |
| Term length | Five years renewable |
| Formation | 1 November 1981 |
| First holder | Vere Bird |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda |
| Salary | 150,000Eastern Caribbean dollars/US$ 55,555 annually[1] |
| Website | https://opm.gov.ag/ |
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Administrative divisions |
Theprime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is thehead of government ofAntigua and Barbuda. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is appointed by theGovernor-General. The prime minister chairs theCabinet, selects itsministers, and exercises much of the executive powers afforded to the office under theConstitution. The prime minister holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of theHouse of Representatives, of which they must be an elected member of.[2][3]
The power of the prime minister has fluctuated throughout the position's existence. While theGovernor-General has been described as thede facto head of state, in whom all executive power is vested in, the prime minister has always been the head of government and has exercised his powers similar in fashion to anexecutive president in mostliberal democracies. The prime minister, along with Cabinet, is responsible for proposing new legislation and setting an agenda, usually codified byacts of parliament orstatutory instruments.
The history of such an office began in 1872 withthe colonial president, who oversaw the island in subordination to the island'sgovernor. This office was later superseded by the positions of administrator, chief minister, and premier, each of which gaining more executive power as the islands moved toward independence. Four men have served as prime minister, the first beingVere Bird taking office on 1 November 1981. The longest serving prime minister was also Vere Bird, who served for 12 years, and the shortest serving was his son Lester, who served for ten years.Gaston Browne succeededBaldwin Spencer as prime minister on 13 June 2014, following the2014 general election.
Since colonial times, various officials have acted as the head of government in Antigua and Barbuda. In 1872, the position of colonial president was established, which was the first time that executive functions were fully separated from the archipelago's governor. The president of Antigua essentially exercised the same functions that the governor of Antigua had prior to being assigned responsibility over the entireBritish Leeward Islands.[4] Following the abolition of the presidency, the position of administrator was established, who took up residence inGovernment House and eventually had a major power expansion in the 1959 constitutional amendment. The position of administrator still remained more akin to a subordinated governor rather than that of the modern day prime minister.[5][6]
On 1 January 1960, the position of chief minister was established, the inaugural holder being Vere Bird. The chief minister was appointed by the administrator and was the member of the now-elected Legislative Council who could command the support of the majority of members. The chief minister was also granted the ability to form an Executive Council, which has since been replaced by the Cabinet.[7] The direct precursor to the position of prime minister was that of premier, which was first proposed during the 1966 Antigua Constitutional Conference in the prelude to associated statehood. On 27 February 1967, the position of administrator was abolished and the island's head of government became once again directly subordinated to the now fully-local governor. Legally, the position of premier was nearly identical to that of the prime minister today– the premier was appointed by the governor and aWestminster system was established.[8] The creation of the office of premier also coincided with the start of presidentialisation in Antiguan and Barbudan politics, with Antiguans and Barbudans beginning to feel that they themselves elected their premier and that their premier was thede facto figurehead of the emerging nation.[9] During the1971 general election that putGeorge Walter into power, candidates for the premiership began to directly accuse each other of corruption and responsibility for their party's actions, introducing the premier as the new leader of Antiguan and Barbudan society. This continued until theindependence process of Antigua and Barbuda starting in the late 1970s.[10]
The position of prime minister was for the most part legally identical to that of the premier. The prime minister was now appointed by a governor-general and similarly required the confidence of the House of Representatives in order to be appointed to the role. In the1980s and early 1990s, Vere Bird, with the support of Parliament, began to consolidate power in a manner that established him as the "father of the nation" and essentially gave him complete control of themilitary and economy.[11] The Bird family's grip on power continued throughout the1990s and early 2000s with the rise of Lester Bird to the premiership. Lester Bird used his control of the security forces and media to aid the expansion of prime ministerial powers, along with falsified elections that created a political dynasty and ended Antigua and Barbuda's status as a full democracy.[12][13][14] However, reforms in 2001 caused a reduction of the prime minister's unofficial hard power and the start of the modern Antiguan and Barbudan political system.[15][16][17]
Today, the prime minister continues to be considered by the public as the face of Antiguan and Barbudan politics as well as the leader of the country. The prime minister is a public figure who makes binding decisions on the central government's agenda[18] and tends to face little obstacles from the governing party and Parliament.[19] As all prime ministers have been the leaders of their respective parties, the prime minister also tends to have influence over the party's candidate slate and ideology.[20]
The Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda regulates that the prime minister must be a member of the House of Representatives who is the leader in the House of the political party that has the support of the majority of members of the House of Representatives. If there is no party that has an undisputed leader, or no party that maintains the support of the majority of the House of Representatives, the Governor-General may appoint a member that is most likely to maintain the support of the majority of the members, and who is willing to hold the role of prime minister.
As an elected member of the House of Representatives, the prime minister must also:
If a prime minister must be appointed while Parliament is dissolved, then, a person who was a member of the House of Representatives immediately before the dissolution may be appointed as prime minister.[3]
All prime ministers have been the leader of their political party, thus, a prospective prime minister must first be elected as party leader during the party convention that is usually held biennially.[21]
The Governor-General may authorize another member of the Cabinet to perform those functions (other than the functions conferred by section 74(2) of the constitution) when the Prime Minister is not present in Antigua and Barbuda or is unable to do so due to illness or because of the restrictions of section 73(4) of this Constitution. That member may perform those functions until the Governor-General revokes his authority.[2][3]
The prime minister advises the Governor-General on appointments to theCabinet of Antigua and Barbuda. Only the Prime Minister or, in his absence, the Minister the Prime Minister appoints in that regard, may call the Cabinet to order.[2][3] Under section 73 of the constitution, the Governor-General must dismiss the Prime Minister or dissolve parliament in the event of a successful vote of no confidence.[3]
This is agraphical lifespan timeline of the prime ministers of Antigua and Barbuda. They are listed in order of first assuming office.
The following chart lists prime ministers by lifespan (living prime ministers on the green line), with the years outside of their premiership in beige.
The following chart shows prime ministers by their age (living prime ministers in green), with the years of their premiership in blue.
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This article incorporates public domain material from theGovernment of Antigua and Barbuda.