In a historic outcome for Antigua and Barbuda’s general election, preliminary results have cemented a landslide victory for incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), drawing an official message of congratulations from Jamaica’s top opposition figure.
Mark Golding, Jamaica’s Opposition Leader, shared his formal well-wishes in a public statement published to the social platform X, extending warm greetings to Browne and the entire ABLP on securing a fourth consecutive term in national office.
Golding noted that Browne’s return to governance, which marks a milestone as the first four-consecutive election win for any prime minister in the country’s history, signals the unwavering trust that the voting public of Antigua and Barbuda has placed in Browne’s leadership, which first began in 2014. He also expressed enthusiasm for future collaborative work between the neighboring nations’ leadership and added that he wished Browne and his incoming administration great success throughout their new governing mandate.
The scale of the ABLP’s victory far outstripped the party’s narrow win in the 2023 January polls, when the party held a slim 9-7 seat majority. In this most recent contest, the ruling party claimed 15 of the 17 contested parliamentary seats. The main opposition bloc, the United Progressive Party (UPP), only managed to hold onto a single seat, which will remain in the hands of UPP leader Jamale Pringle. On the island of Barbuda, incumbent Trevor Walker of the Barbuda People’s Movement retained his seat to round out the final results.