Antigua & Barbuda: Government Structure

Antigua and Barbuda is governed as a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system modeled on the British Westminster tradition. The current constitution was signed on 31 July 1981 and took effect on 1 November 1981, the same day the islands became independent, and it remains the country's supreme law.

Executive authority formally rests with the British monarch as head of state, represented locally by a Governor-General who performs largely ceremonial duties. Day-to-day governance is led by a prime minister and cabinet, drawn from the majority party in the House of Representatives, who direct government policy and administration.

The legislature is bicameral, consisting of a directly elected House of Representatives of seventeen members serving terms of up to five years, and a Senate of seventeen members appointed by the Governor-General. Judicial matters fall under the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, part of a regional court system shared with other former British Caribbean territories.