1999 Antiguan general election

1999 Antiguan general election

9 March 1999
All 17 seats in the House of Representatives 9 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	63.61% ( 1.29pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Lester Bird Baldwin Spencer Hilbourne Frank Party ALP UPP BPM Seats won 12 4 1 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 17,521 14,713 418 Percentage 52.94% 44.45% 1.26% Swing 1.50pp 0.74pp 0.09pp
Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election Lester Bird ALP Subsequent Prime Minister Lester Bird ALP

General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 9 March 1999. The elections were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party. Lester Bird was re-elected Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Voter turnout was 63.6%.

The elections were extremely close, with the UPP losing five seats by a narrow 554 votes in total, and had the elections been free and fair (the government controlled almost all newspapers as well as television and radio stations), the opposition could have won a majority. Opposition leader Baldwin Spencer criticised the conduct and fairness of the elections and began a hunger strike in protest to the flaws in the system. The government responded by establishing the independent Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission in 2001.

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Antigua Labour Party	17,521	52.94	12	+1
	United Progressive Party	14,713	44.45	4	−1
	Barbuda People's Movement	418	1.26	1	0
	Antigua Freedom Party	57	0.17	0	New
	National Reform Movement	33	0.10	0	New
	Independents	355	1.07	0	0
Total		33,097	100.00	17	0
Valid votes		33,097	99.33
Invalid/blank votes		223	0.67
Total votes		33,320	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		52,385	63.61
Source: Nohlen

External links

• Election report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies