Antigua and Barbuda PM Browne secures third term in general elections

Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth as the nation's sovereign and became a republic in 2021, amid a reckoning by Caribbean nations with their colonial past. Jamaican officials have said the government is studying the process of reforming the constitution to become a republic.

Antigua and Barbuda's ruling party held on to power in the Caribbean nation's general elections, according to results released on Thursday, securing a third term for Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

The Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party (ABLP) won nine of the legislature's 17 seats in Wednesday's vote, according to the electoral commission's Facebook page. "I will continue to serve you faithfully, I'll continue to honor the confidence and trust that you've imposed in me," Browne said in a victory speech broadcast on YouTube.

The opposition United Progressive Party won six seats, with one seat going to the Barbuda People's Movement and one to an independent candidate, according to the Antigua Observer newspaper. Browne has called on the United States and other wealthy nations to boost assistance to Caribbean countries that are facing the increasingly costly impact of climate change.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September, Brown said Antigua and Barbuda will hold a referendum within three years on becoming a republic, which could lead to the removal of Britain's King Charles as head of state. Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth as the nation's sovereign and became a republic in 2021, amid a reckoning by Caribbean nations with their colonial past.

Jamaican officials have said the government is studying the process of reforming the constitution to become a republic.

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