Politics in Antigua and Barbuda

A constitutional monarchy has a monarch as head of state under constitutional rules, while a parliamentary democracy forms its government through a legislature. Antigua and Barbuda's unitary state operates through one national constitutional system. The Constitution sets the legal framework for public authority and stands above ordinary laws. National government works through the Governor-General, Parliament, Cabinet and ministries. Courts apply the law, and independent oversight bodies monitor defined areas of public administration. National ministries provide most public administration across Antigua and Redonda. Barbuda has a constitutional local government body, which gives the island a distinct local-government arrangement within the national state. Elections provide the link between voters and the House of Representatives. The country has 17 single-member constituencies, meaning that each constituency elects one representative. Under first-past-the-post voting, the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins that seat. The Prime Minister is not elected in a separate nationwide vote; the Governor-General appoints the House member who commands the majority. The state framework and electoral process answer different questions. The state framework explains how authority, administration and legal oversight are organised. Elections explain how representatives enter the House and how the parliamentary majority that supports the government is established.