Antigua and Barbuda Urged to ‘Urgently Review’ Constituency Boundaries Despite Peaceful Polls, Commonwealth Report Finds
St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda – 05 June 2026: The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has released its final report on the 30 April 2026 general elections in Antigua and Barbuda, calling for urgent reform of constituency boundaries while commending the overall peaceful and transparent conduct of the polls.
The Group reiterated concerns first raised by the 2023 COG, noting that electoral boundaries have remained largely unchanged since 1984 despite significant demographic change. The report warned that the resulting disparities in voter numbers across constituencies risk undermining the principle of equal suffrage and could affect public confidence in the electoral process.
The Observer Group recommended that the government urgently empower the Boundaries Commission to undertake an independent, data-driven redistribution of seats based on the 2022 to 2025 census data. It stressed that this process must be conducted free from political influence to ensure fairness and uphold the principle of “one person, one vote”.
In its assessment of the election day, the Group found that the elections were conducted in a peaceful, orderly, and transparent manner. Polling procedures were generally followed, and election officials carried out their duties professionally. The Group also commended the constructive role played by voters, political parties, the police, and the media in supporting a credible electoral process.
Commonwealth Secretary-General the Hon Shirley Botchwey, who constituted the mission, shared the report with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, political parties, and other stakeholders.
Secretary-General Botchwey stated that the report provides an important assessment of the electoral process and the wider democratic context as Antigua and Barbuda prepares to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). She added that the findings “will help bolster the credentials of the country with respect to upholding Commonwealth values”.
The COG mission was led by Hon Pelonomi Venson, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana, and comprised four eminent persons from across the Commonwealth.
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