Oas Calls – The Organization of American States (OAS) is calling for stronger campaign finance rules to improve transparency in Antigua and Barbuda.
Oas Calls Stronger Campaign
In its first report on the April 30th general elections, the Organization of American States Electoral Observation Mission said that existing laws do not provide a full system to track how political parties raise and spend money.
The mission notes that while provisions exist under the Representation of the People Amendment Act 2001, they do not amount to a comprehensive regulatory framework and leave important areas open for reform.
Under the current system, parties must record monetary and in-kind contributions during an election period, identify certain sources, submit post-election reports, and allow the Electoral Commission access to their accounts, with the Commission responsible for oversight and sanctions.
However, the OAS highlighted the limited reporting period as a major weakness. For the 2026 election, reporting requirements were interpreted as covering only the period between April 7 and May 1.
The mission said this narrow window leaves a significant portion of political financing outside the reporting system.
