A routine joint sitting of Antigua and Barbuda’s Parliament was derailed on Tuesday before formal business could even begin, after the nation’s top legislative official ordered the opposition leader out of the chamber for violating a core constitutional requirement.
Senate President Alincia Williams-Grant, the presiding officer for the joint session, made the formal ruling that Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle was ineligible to participate in the day’s proceedings because he had not completed the constitutionally mandated oath of allegiance. The rule, which is enshrined in the country’s governing framework, bars any elected or appointed parliamentary member from taking part in official business until they have sworn their oath of loyalty to the state.
Williams-Grant told assembled lawmakers and invited guests that the oversight was brought to her attention just as she entered the chamber to open the sitting. She added that she had made multiple attempts to flag the issue to Pringle in a private setting ahead of the session’s start, in an effort to avoid a public confrontation.
Despite being notified of the requirement before the sitting convened, Pringle still entered the legislative chamber, leaving Williams-Grant with no option but to issue a public formal ruling from the chair.
“I’m asking the honourable gentleman to remove himself from this proceedings this morning in this House,” she stated during the address, before Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin threw his full support behind the presiding officer’s decision.
Benjamin emphasized to the chamber that the Antiguan Constitution leaves no room for interpretation on the matter, noting the requirement is “particularly clear” that all members of both the Senate and House of Representatives must complete the oath before engaging in any formal parliamentary work. He added that every other member present for the joint sitting had already fulfilled the obligation, and that no member who had not done so could legally participate until the process was finalized.
“Those two Members will not be able to take part in any proceedings in this House… until the oath is overtaken,” Benjamin added, referring to Pringle and the other opposition member who had also not completed the requirement.
Following the ruling, Pringle left the parliamentary building without incident, accompanied by all other opposition senators who withdrew in solidarity with their leader. The disruption pushed back the start of the day’s scheduled business, and Williams-Grant issued a formal apology to everyone present for the delay caused by the constitutional standoff.