ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – An estimated 60, 916 people are eligible to cast ballots Wednesday as Antiguans and Barbudans go to the polling station to elect a new government for the next five years.
The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) said 53 candidates, representing three political parties and three independents, are contesting the poll for control of the 17-seat Parliament.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who is seeking a third consecutive term in office, is leading the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) against the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) headed by former finance minister Harold Lovell and the Joanne Massiah led-Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
The Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM), which won the sole seat on the island of Barbuda in 2018, is facing the ABLP on the sister isle.
The polling stations, which opened at 6.00 am (local time), will close 12 hours later.
Supervisor of Elections, Dame Lorna Simon, has said many persons have been applying for lost or replacement cards, and the office expects the situation to continue on Wednesday.
She urges electors to locate and securely keep their cards needed to vote.
“Join a line, know the correct constituency, the polling district, the polling station. We will have information officers at the entrance to each polling center where there is more than one polling station, and we urge persons, if they are unsure which queue to join, to check with the information clerk and go out and exercise their franchise,” Dame Lorna added.
The Human Resource Professionals of Antigua and Barbuda (HRPAB) has reminded employers of the need to ensure that their workers are provided with adequate time, as provided for by law, to cast their ballots on Wednesday.
“Employers must recognize that voting can be a time-consuming process with lengthy waits at polling stations in large constituencies, and at peak voting times, for example, at the opening of the polls,” the HRPAB said in a statement, adding that “employees on the other hand, should also realize that the four hours is a guide to be used only in the event of long lines.”
It said it encourages all employees to exercise their civic duty to vote in the upcoming elections and to work with their employer and colleagues to ensure that all eligible employees can exercise their right to vote should they choose.
The polls are monitored by teams from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Commonwealth.
and then 