标签： Antigua and Barbuda

The first formal sitting of Antigua and Barbuda’s newly elected Parliament descended into political friction on Monday, after Attorney General Stedroy Benjamin launched sharp criticism of the entire opposition bloc for its unexplained and strategically timed absence from the opening session. Benjamin’s rebuke came minutes before the House adjourned, wrapping up a day that centered on the official swearing-in of all newly elected members of parliament.

Addressing the empty opposition benches, Benjamin openly questioned the credibility of the excuses tendered for the no-shows, drawing a direct line between the boycott and the opposition’s weak standing following the April 2026 general election. “It seems that there will be no speeches from the other side,” Benjamin told the chamber. “They have disappeared as they did disappear the last elections.”

He argued that the collective absence of opposition representatives validates the choice that voters made at the ballot box earlier that year. “They made the right decision,” he said of the electorate. “They don’t appear. They don’t work. As a matter of fact, they are a disunited bunch of people.”

Prior to Benjamin’s remarks, newly re-elected Speaker Osbert Frederick read out formal apologies from three absent opposition lawmakers: the representative for All Saints East and St. Luke, the lawmaker for Barbuda, and the member for St. Philip’s South, who cited an unspecified personal emergency for his absence. Other absent members cited illness and pre-planned international travel as justifications for missing the historic sitting.

Benjamin pushed back against these explanations, calling the timing of the supposed disruptions highly suspicious. “Isn’t that passing strange, that today, of all days in Parliament history, some sort of excuses be made — people being sick, traveling,” he said.

Despite the opposition boycott, Benjamin emphasized that the governing administration would move forward with its policy agenda without delay, framing the government’s work as a commitment to delivering widespread prosperity for Antigua and Barbuda under the administration’s signature “Renaissance” development plan. “This wagon train over here will continue to function,” he said. “We are here to make certain that the people of Antigua and Barbuda benefit from the Renaissance.”

Monday’s sitting formally marked the launch of the new legislative term. In addition to the swearing-in of elected MPs, the session saw Osbert Frederick retain his position as Speaker of the House, while Philmore Benjamin was confirmed as Deputy Speaker in a formal vote held during the sitting.

The political landscape of Antigua and Barbuda has shifted this week with the completion of opposition representation in the Senate, following the official swearing-in of veteran labor advocate Malaka Parker.

Parker, a former president and shop steward of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU), took the oath of office during a ceremony held at Government House earlier this Monday. Her appointment was delayed from the initial scheduled investiture, after conflicting overseas travel commitments forced her to miss the first event. Sir Clare Roberts, Deputy Governor General of the nation, presided over Monday’s belated swearing-in ceremony.

In an official public statement released immediately after the ceremony, the ABWU extended warm congratulations to Parker on her new appointment to the national Upper House. The union highlighted Parker’s longstanding track record of relentless advocacy for working people and everyday residents across the country, emphasizing that her career in labor organizing has prepared her to bring critical working-class perspectives to national legislative debate.

“Her steadfast advocacy on behalf of ordinary people has now been elevated to the national legislature, and we are confident that her diligent and passionate service will continue to make a meaningful impact on the lives of workers and the wider community,” the statement read.

Parker’s appointment fills the final remaining opposition seat in the Senate, bringing the opposition’s full roster of representatives into place just two days ahead of the scheduled upper chamber sitting set for Wednesday. Political observers note that Parker’s background as a labor leader will likely bring a sharp focus on workers’ rights, labor policy and livelihood issues to upcoming Senate deliberations, giving the opposition a strong voice on economic and social issues affecting everyday Antigua and Barbuda residents.

In a formal ceremony held at Government House on Monday, Malaka Parker took the oath of office to become the newest opposition senator, with Deputy Governor General Sir Clare Roberts presiding over the investiture.

Parker’s path to the senate followed a slight delay: she was unable to attend the original swearing-in event held last week, after opposition officials confirmed she had to travel overseas for unforeseen, extenuating circumstances. On Monday, she finally received her official instruments of appointment and completed the required oath to formally take up her seat.

This appointment marks the final step in filling the opposition’s full slate of representation in the Senate’s Upper House, and it comes just two days before the chamber is scheduled to hold its next sitting on Wednesday.

Leading up to Monday’s ceremony, opposition leadership released a public statement over the weekend addressing their absence from the event. Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle and Member of Parliament for Barbuda Trevor Walker both confirmed they are currently outside the country attending to personal matters, and expressed regret that they could not be present for Parker’s swearing-in. Despite their unavoidable absence, the pair extended warm congratulations to Parker, and offered their well wishes for what they described as a productive and successful tenure serving on the Senate’s opposition bench.

Fresh off a dominant landslide victory at the polls, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party has formally launched its new parliamentary term, but Prime Minister Gaston Browne is making clear that celebration will give way to accountability. Speaking on Monday during the inaugural sitting of the newly elected Parliament at the nation’s Parliament Building, immediately following the official swearing-in of all elected Members of Parliament, Browne delivered a blunt reminder to his party’s lawmakers that their decisive win does not equal permission to step back from public service.

In opening remarks to the newly seated chamber, Browne doubled down on a message he has stressed repeatedly throughout the transition: the landslide result is no mandate for slothfulness. “If anything, it is actually a mandate for us to serve more faithfully the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” he told assembled lawmakers. He laid out clear expectations for all members of the legislature, calling for unrelenting effort to advance social and economic empowerment for citizens across both islands. The prime minister emphasized that Parliament retains its status as the highest decision-making body in the nation, and attendance will be a core accountability measure for all members.

Browne stressed that casual attendance will not be tolerated, noting that lawmakers should only miss sittings when facing illness, official government travel, or other well-documented extenuating circumstances. Beyond participation, he reminded MPs that they hold a critical fiduciary responsibility to their constituents, requiring that they carry out their work with consistent dignity and professional conduct.

The opening sitting included formal leadership appointments, with Browne extending congratulations to Osbert Frederick on his reappointment as Speaker of the House and Philmore Benjamin on his new election as Deputy Speaker. He framed the parliamentary chamber as a sacred space at the heart of the nation’s democracy, charging the new leadership with upholding the chamber’s core values. Frederick and Benjamin, he said, are tasked with leading proceedings with wisdom, fairness, and unwavering firmness, all while protecting the dignity and institutional integrity of the House.

“You are entrusted with safeguarding the dignity, order, and integrity of this honorable house,” Browne stated, adding that the government expects the chamber to avoid descending into chaos even amid the inevitable political challenges of the coming term. He praised Frederick’s track record from his previous tenure as Speaker, noting his consistent reputation for being fair and firm, and expressed confidence he would uphold that standard in his new term.

Ahead of the government’s policy agenda for the coming term, Browne also called for cross-party unity as the administration works to advance its national development agenda. “Let us continue to work in a united way to continue to advance Antigua and Barbuda as we seek to expand the Renaissance, this new era of progress and development,” he said.

Before closing his remarks, Browne extended congratulations to all newly elected and re-elected lawmakers, singling out veteran parliamentarian Stedroy Benjamin for special recognition. Benjamin, the MP for St. John’s City South, took the parliamentary oath of office for the eighth consecutive time, marking a historic milestone in his decades-long career of public service.

A key constitutional milestone unfolded in the nation’s legislative chamber this week, as sitting government members of parliament formally marked the start of their new term by taking their official oaths of office. The timed-honored ceremony, a required step under the country’s parliamentary constitution, saw every ruling party MP affirm their commitment to uphold the nation’s laws, serve the public interest, and remain faithful to their constitutional duties before the speaker of the house and assembled legislative peers.

The oath-taking process comes on the heels of the recent general election that delivered the current government its parliamentary mandate, clearing the way for the administration to move forward with its policy agenda, from economic stimulus plans to public service reform. Political observers note that the completion of this formal step is far more than a symbolic ritual: it legally validates the new parliament’s authority to conduct official business, pass legislation, and hold the executive branch to account. After the conclusion of the ceremony, the newly sworn-in MPs began preliminary preparations for the opening of the first parliamentary session, where the government will lay out its legislative priorities for the coming term.