Elections for five of the nine elected seats in the Barbuda Council were held on 26 March 2025. The election was a landslide for the Barbuda People's Movement, who hold all eleven seats on the council, including the two ex officio seats. Important issues in this election were land rights, the environment, and infrastructure.
Background After the landslide victory for the BPM in 2023, calls for Barbudan independence re-emerged, with the pro-independence Barbuda Land Rights and Resources Committee launching a plan for a new waterfront area in Codrington and criticising the Barbuda Council for not meeting enough. In October 2024, the controversial Burton–Nibbs International Airport opened, replacing the Barbuda Codrington Airport. The airport is located in a sensitive environmental area and in 2023, attempts were made to demolish the airport before construction was completed. In January 2025, the land adjudication process was also condemned by the council, after it began in April 2024.
Electoral system The Barbuda Council has elections every two years. The amount of seats up for election alternates, with odd-numbered years having five seats up for election, and even numbered years having four seats up for election. Every member has a term of four years. One ex officio member is the member of parliament for Barbuda, who is directly elected by the island's population. Another ex officio member is the Barbuda Council's senator, who is nominated by the council and appointed by the governor-general. In total, there are eleven members on the council.
Results Polls closed at 18:00 local time, and vote counting commenced at 18:49. The election was called for the Barbuda People's Movement by the Barbuda Channel at 23:31. The official count was delivered by the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission at 23:44.
By candidate and polling station PartyNameStation 1Station 2Station 3Station 4Station 5TotalBarbuda People's MovementWayde Burton12311611065126540Barbuda People's MovementNadia George105959154106451Barbuda People's MovementMelanie Beazer98888653101426Barbuda People's MovementJacklyn Frank104907952103428Barbuda People's MovementNico Antonio10484775198414Antigua and Barbuda Labour PartyOrlando Morris4638665150251Antigua and Barbuda Labour PartyMackiesha Desuza4828604346225Antigua and Barbuda Labour PartyBonnietha John4735554342222Antigua and Barbuda Labour PartyArthur Nibbs4530544349221Antigua and Barbuda Labour PartyBernard Christian4231584543219IndependentJermaine Desouza3646312936178IndependentHasketh Daniel7121812958Total8056937855418093,633Source: Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission
References
External links Barbuda Channel counting coverage Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission official results