St. John’s Antigua – The Labour Party administration has announced the formation of a new Constituencies Boundaries Commission, appointing three members to spearhead the process of redefining electoral boundaries.

In a letter to Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, Prime Minister Gaston Browne named Danley Phillip as Chairman, alongside Claire Chastanet and Billy Benjamin as members of the Commission. The appointments will take effect on January 18.

This move follows a controversial reversal of an earlier decision to appoint three politicians to the Commission—a step that would have contravened the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda.

During a recent post-Cabinet press briefing, Ambassador Lionel Hurst, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, initially announced that the government planned to appoint Member of Parliament (MP) Maria Browne, MP Daryll Matthew, and Senator Michael Joseph to the Commission. However, these appointments were later rescinded after it was highlighted that Section 63(2) of the Constitution prohibits Senators, MPs, and public officers from serving on the Constituencies Boundaries Commission.

The controversy intensified when Hurst revealed that St. John’s Rural West was among the constituencies being considered for boundary adjustments. This raised conflict-of-interest concerns, as one of the original appointees, Senator Michael Joseph, is the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party’s candidate for St. John’s Rural West—a seat currently held by Opposition MP Richard Lewis.

Hurst defended the initial appointments, arguing that parliamentarians are “the people most likely to be affected” by changes to constituency boundaries.

The new Commission will be tasked with addressing the significant voter disparities across constituencies. Currently, some electoral districts have as many as 6,000 voters, while others have as few as 1,200.

“As you know, some boundaries, some constituencies have as many as 6,000 people within the boundaries. And some have as few as 1,200,” Hurst said, emphasizing the need for adjustments to ensure fairness in representation.

The law mandates that at least one member of the Commission be appointed on the recommendation of the opposition. The Commission’s work is expected to play a pivotal role in determining new electoral district boundaries ahead of the next general election.