1999 Antiguan general election explained

Type:parliamentary
Country:Antigua and Barbuda
Election Date:9 March 1999
Previous Year:1994
Next Year:2004
Seats For Election:All 17 seats in the House of Representatives
Majority Seats:9
Turnout:63.61% (1.29pp)
Outgoing Members:10th legislature of Antigua and Barbuda#Members
Elected Members:11th legislature of Antigua and Barbuda#Members
Image1:Former Prime Minister Honourable Lester B. Bird (cropped).jpg
Leader1:Lester Bird
Party1:ALP
Seats1:12
Seat Change1: 1
Popular Vote1:17,521
Percentage1:52.94%
Swing1: 1.50pp
Leader2:Baldwin Spencer
Party2:United Progressive Party (Antigua and Barbuda)
Seats2:4
Seat Change2: 1
Popular Vote2:14,713
Percentage2:44.45%
Swing2: 0.74pp
Leader3:Hilbourne Frank
Image3:3x4.svg
Party3:BPM
Seats3:1
Popular Vote3:418
Percentage3:1.26%
Swing3: 0.09pp
Prime Minister
Posttitle:Subsequent Prime Minister
Before Election:Lester Bird
Before Party:ALP
After Election:Lester Bird
After Party:ALP

General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 9 March 1999.[1] The elections were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party. Lester Bird was re-elected Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Voter turnout was 63.6%.[1]

The elections were extremely close, with the UPP losing five seats by a narrow 554 votes in total, and had the elections been free and fair (the government controlled almost all newspapers as well as television and radio stations), the opposition could have won a majority.[2] Opposition leader Baldwin Spencer criticised the conduct and fairness of the elections and began a hunger strike in protest to the flaws in the system. The government responded by establishing the independent Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission in 2001.

External links

Notes and References

  1. [Dieter Nohlen]
  2. Nohlen, p63