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Country Name

Conventional long form: none

Conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

Administrative Divisions

6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

Independence

1 November 1981 (from the UK)

National Holiday

Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)

Constitution

1 November 1981

Legal System

based on English common law

International Law Organization Participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)

Head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 12 March 2009 (next to be held in 2014) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 50.9%, ALP 47.2%, BPM 1.1%; seats by party - UPP 9, ALP 7, BPM 1

Judicial Branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court consisting of a High Court of Justice and a Court of Appeal (based in Saint Lucia; two judges of the Supreme Court are residents of the islands and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); Magistrates' Courts; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

Political Parties and Leaders

Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP)

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

Flag Description

Red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band; the sun symbolizes the dawn of a new era, black represents the African heritage of most of the population, blue is for hope, and red is for the dynamism of the people; the "V" stands for victory; the successive yellow, blue, and white coloring is also meant to evoke the country's tourist attractions of sun, sea, and sand

National Anthem

Lyrics:

Year	2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

Government Type

Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and a Commonwealth realm

Capital

Name
Saint John's
Geographic Coordinates
17 07 N, 61 51 W
Time Difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

Chief Of Mission
Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL
Chancery
3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
Telephone
[1] (202) 362-5122
FAX
[1] (202) 362-5225
Consulate(s) General
Miami, New York

Diplomatic Representation from the US

The US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda

International Organization Participation

ACP
AOSIS
C
Caricom
CDB
FAO
G-77
IBRD
ICAO
ICCt
ICRM
IDA
IFAD
IFC
IFRCS
ILO
IMF
IMO
IMSO
Interpol

IOC
ISO (subscriber)
ITU
ITUC
MIGA
NAM
OAS
OECS
OPANAL
OPCW
PetroCaribe
UN
UNCTAD
UNESCO
UPU
WFTU
WHO
WIPO
WMO
WTO

Antigua and Barbuda