2004 Antiguan general election

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← 1999

23 March 2004

2009 →

← outgoing members elected members →

All 17 seats in the House of Representatives
9 seats needed for a majority

Turnout

91.19% (

27.58pp)

	First party	Second party	Third party

Leader	Baldwin Spencer	Lester Bird	Trevor Walker
Party	UPP	ALP	BPM
Seats won	12	4	1
Seat change	8	8
Popular vote	21,892	16,544	400
Percentage	55.50%	41.94%	1.26%
Swing	11.05pp	11.00pp	0.25pp

Results by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Lester Bird
ALP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Baldwin Spencer
UPP

Politics of Antigua and Barbuda


Executive Monarch Charles III Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams Prime Minister Gaston Browne Cabinet
Legislative Parliament Senate President House of Representatives Speaker Leader of the Opposition
Judicial Magistrates' Courts Supreme Court High Court Court of Appeal Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Elections Recent elections General: 2014 2018 2023 Political parties
Administrative divisions Parishes and dependencies
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs Minister: E.P. Chet Greene Diplomatic missions of / in Antigua and Barbuda Passports Visa requirements Visa policy
Barbuda Barbuda Council Chairperson Vice Chairperson Secretary
Other countries
v t e

General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 23 March 2004. The result was a victory for the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), which defeated the incumbent Antigua Labour Party. Baldwin Spencer, leader of the UPP, replaced Lester Bird as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, 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, 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 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 ended in a draw between the Barbuda People's Movement, 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 of the BPM elected, with 408 votes against 394 for the BPMC candidate, Arthur Nibbs.


Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	United Progressive Party	21,892	55.50	12	+8
	Antigua Labour Party	16,544	41.94	4	–8
	Barbuda People's Movement	400	1.01	1	0
	Barbuda People's Movement for Change	400	1.01	0	New
	Independents	209	0.53	0	0
Total		39,445	100.00	17	0

Valid votes		39,445	99.54
Invalid/blank votes		184	0.46
Total votes		39,629	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		43,456	91.19
Source: Caribbean Elections

References

Antigua and Barbuda: 2004 election results Archived 29 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Caribbean Elections

v t e Elections in Antigua and Barbuda
General elections	1946 1951 1956 1960 1965 1971 1976 1980 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2018 2023
Barbuda Council elections	... 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
West Indies elections	1958
Referendums	2018

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