Central America and the Caribbean > Antigua and Barbuda > Government

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Administrative divisions 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Capital city	Saint John's
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	17 07 N, 61 51 W
Constitution	1 November 1981
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chief of mission Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL
Executive branch > Cabinet Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Executive branch > Chief of state Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)
Flag description red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band
Government type constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government
Independence	1 November 1981 (from UK)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice
Legal system based on English common law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
National holiday Independence Day (National Day), 1 November
Political parties and leaders Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP)
Political pressure groups and leaders Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]
Status democracy
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal
Time required to start a business > days	21 days		[127th of 171]
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International	none

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