Antigua Opposition Leader Removed Over Oath
Opposition leader Jamale Pringle was ordered out of a joint sitting of Antigua and Barbuda’s Parliament after presiding officials said he had not taken the required oath of allegiance. The removal, which prompted a brief opposition walkout, comes after elections that left the United Progressive Party with a single seat and follows recent constitutional changes to the oath.
JOHN’S — Opposition leader Jamale Pringle was asked to leave a joint sitting of Antigua and Barbuda’s Parliament on Tuesday after presiding officers determined he had not fulfilled the constitutional requirement to take the oath of allegiance before participating in proceedings. Senate President Alincia Williams-Grant told lawmakers at the opening of the session that the matter had been raised before the sitting and attempts were made to address it privately.
When Pringle entered the chamber, Williams-Grant reportedly said he had not been sworn in and therefore could not lawfully take part, adding that members who had not taken the oath should not be present. She asked Pringle to leave or be removed by the sergeant-at-arms. Pringle subsequently exited the chamber quietly and was joined by opposition senators in a walkout that temporarily disrupted the sitting.
Local media reports noted that Pringle had been overseas when newly elected parliamentarians were initially sworn in earlier this month, and that the omission is at the centre of the dispute. No immediate statement was issued by Pringle following the incident, though opposition members challenged the presiding officers’ handling of the matter.
The incident unfolds against the backdrop of a recent general election in which Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party won a fourth consecutive term, while the United Progressive Party was reduced to a single seat retained by Pringle. It also follows constitutional amendments approved in late 2025 that changed the wording of the oath of allegiance: elected officials now pledge loyalty to the state rather than to the British monarch.
For British Virgin Islands residents, the episode is significant for two reasons. First, it underscores the strict parliamentary requirements around swearing-in and the immediate consequences of procedural lapses for representation and voting rights in the chamber. Second, it highlights a wider regional trend — including constitutional changes in Antigua and Barbuda — toward redefining ties with the Crown, a conversation that continues in various forms across the Caribbean, including in the BVI.
Parliamentary authorities and opposition figures may pursue further clarification or legal review of whether any votes taken while Pringle participated could be invalidated, and residents should expect updates as officials or the courts address the dispute.
Primary source: Guavaberry