The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission is making a case for an overhaul
of the electoral laws regarding campaign financing as political parties are
exploiting loopholes in the law.
In its report on the January 18, 2023, general elections, ABEC noted that reports
were submitted by the political parties contesting the elections; the Antigua and
Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), the United Progressive Party (UPP), the Barbuda
People’s Movement (BPM) and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
The report, signed by the late chairman of the Commission, John Jarvis, noted that
Section 43 of the Representation of the People’s (Amendment) Act of 2001, details
the manner in which the law dictates that the reports ought to be structured.
However, the report noted that based on the reports from the political parties there
clearly is an issue of the period for which the reports ought to cover.
“Having reviewed the submissions received from the political parties, it was very
evident that clarity regarding the commencement date of reporting was an issue
since Section 43 of the RPA is silent on the point. Consequently, it is reasonable to
conclude that most reports were generated following the issuance of the Writ of
Elections,” it noted.
Based on this, the report suggests that verifying the accuracy of the reports from
the parties on the question of election financing was next to impossible. “It is
therefore imperative that this deficiency in the legislation be given necessary
attention for redress,” the report suggested.
A breakdown of the amounts reported by the political parties are as follows;
2023 General Elections
ABLP – $988,612.00
UPP – $193,500.00
BPM – $14,000.00
DNA – $0
These figures declined significantly from the 2018 general elections for all the
parties.
2018 General Elections
ABLP – $2,138.979.00
UPP – $1,666.151.00
BPM – $19,000.00
DNA – $21,000.00
ABTLP – $0
The report of the 2023 was tabled in parliament last week during meetings of the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
