General elections were held in

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

on 23 March 2004. The result was a victory for the opposition

United Progressive Party The United Progressive Party is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. It was previously led by Baldwin Spencer, it was the governing party from 2004 to 2014. It has been in opposition since the 2014 election. Jamale Pringle was elected lea ...

(UPP), which defeated the incumbent Antigua Labour Party. Baldwin Spencer, leader of the UPP, replaced

Lester Bird Sir Lester Bryant Bird (21 February 1938 – 9 August 2021) was an Antiguan politician and athlete who served as the second prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2004. He was chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) from 1971 to ...

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of government of the Antigua and Barbuda. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is appointed by the Governor-General. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet, selects its ministers, an ...

, with Bird being one of eight Labour MPs to lose his seat. Spencer became only the second Prime Minister from outside the Bird family or the Labour Party. Bird had been Prime Minister since 1994, when he succeeded his father,

Vere Bird Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, Order of the National Hero (Antigua and Barbuda), KNH (9 December 1909 – 28 June 1999) was the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda#Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, 1981-present, first Prime Minister of Antigua ...

, who had been Prime Minister from independence in 1981, having previously served as Chief Minister or Premier of Antigua since 1960 with the exception of the 1971–1976 period.

Campaign

The Bird family was widely accused of corruption and nepotism. The ''Jamaica Observer'' noted that "Bird's government had been badly damaged by scandals that in recent years have centred on allegations of bribery, misuse of funds in the national health insurance plan, and a 13-year-old girl's charges that he and his brother used her for sex and to procure cocaine. Bird, 72, denied the last charges and organised an inquiry that found no evidence." Bird's brother, Vere Bird, Jr., was accused of involvement with the Medellin drug cartel in 1989. He lost his Cabinet post, but was not prosecuted.

Conduct

An observer team from the

Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community (abbreviated as CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organisation that is a Political association, political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) and five associated members thro ...

praised the peaceful vote and said the results "clearly reflect the will of the people". Among recommendations, it urged the Electoral Commission to strengthen its independence. Previous elections in Antigua and Barbuda had been followed by allegations of electoral irregularities favouring the government.

Results

The vote in the seat of

Barbuda Barbuda (; ) is an island and dependency located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda as an autonomous entity. Barbuda is located approximately north of Antigua. The only settlements on the i ...

ended in a draw between the

Barbuda People's Movement The Barbuda People's Movement is a left-wing Barbudan nationalist political party in Antigua and Barbuda active only on the island of Barbuda. The party's symbol is the European fallow deer, national animal of Barbuda. The party seeks the secess ...

, an ally of the UPP, and the Barbuda People's Movement for Change, an ally of the ALP, with each candidate receiving 400 votes. A by-election was held on 20 April, which saw

Trevor Walker Trevor Myke Walker is a Barbudan politician, current member of parliament for Barbuda, and former Cabinet Minister under the Baldwin Spencer administration. He is a member of the Barbuda People's Movement, a party that seeks the independence of ...

of the BPM elected, with 408 votes against 394 for the BPMC candidate, Arthur Nibbs.Antigua and Barbuda: 2004 election results
Caribbean Elections

References

{{Antigua and Barbuda elections Elections in Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

General election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

March 2004 in North America