Following the conclusion of Antigua and Barbuda’s April 30, 2026 general election, the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has doubled down on longstanding calls for sweeping reforms to shore up the independence of the Caribbean nation’s state-owned media, framing the changes as a critical step to rebuild public trust in electoral journalism.
In the group’s final post-election assessment, observers put forward a detailed, previously submitted proposal: formally incorporate the Antigua Broadcasting Service (ABS) as a standalone state-owned entity overseen by an impartial, independent board of directors. The recommendation, which was first tabled by an earlier Commonwealth observer mission in 2023, directly targets widespread public and stakeholder concerns over unequal access, uneven coverage, and perceived political bias in the state broadcaster’s election-related reporting.
“The incorporation of ABS as a state-owned entity with an independent board of directors governing its policies, operations and programming could help mitigate some of the challenges regarding accessibility, fairness and bias, as we recommended back in 2023,” the final report read.
Beyond restructuring ABS, the observer group flagged another key gap in the country’s electoral framework: the lack of a formal, codified code of conduct specifically for media outlets covering elections. Observers argued that broader systemic changes are needed to systematically depoliticize Antigua and Barbuda’s media ecosystem. Additional proposals laid out in the report include the creation of an independent media council or dedicated election media monitoring body, alongside measures to mandate balanced campaign coverage and guarantee equal access to airtime and coverage for all registered political parties.
While the group delivered a largely positive assessment of the election itself, concluding that the April 30 vote was carried out in a peaceful, organized, and transparent manner overall, it emphasized that targeted improvements to media regulation and governance would add another layer of strength to the country’s democratic processes by boosting public confidence in election outcomes.