{"id":325975,"date":"2024-07-18T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=325975"},"modified":"2024-07-17T23:21:29","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T03:21:29","slug":"antigua-a-former-opposition-member-becomes-the-first-independent-mp-to-join-the-govt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/governance\/antigua-a-former-opposition-member-becomes-the-first-independent-mp-to-join-the-govt\/","title":{"rendered":"ANTIGUA: A former opposition member becomes the first independent MP to join the gov\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Anthony Smith being sworn in<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Antigua and Barbuda’s political landscape has seen a significant change as former opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Anthony Smith, became the first Independent MP to join the executive.<\/p>\n

Smith, who represents All Saints West, was sworn in as Minister for Agriculture, Land, Fisheries, and the Blue Economy shortly after resigning from the opposition United Progressive Party.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Gaston Browne expressed his confidence in Smith’s capabilities during the swearing-in ceremony.<\/p>\n

Smith stated that he was totally committed to making a significant contribution towards the advancement of his constituents and the people of Antigua and Barbuda in general.<\/p>\n

Browne also suggested that Smith’s previous political environment was detrimental to his growth, describing it as “toxic” and hindering his development. He commended Smith for seeking greener pastures to better serve his constituents.<\/p>\n

Addressing his decision, Smith emphasized the importance of national development, acknowledging that while some people may be hurt by his choice, he was elected to serve and lead the people of All Saints West and Antigua and Barbuda as a whole.<\/p>\n

This unexpected political shift poses questions about the changing dynamics within Antigua and Barbuda’s political landscape and the potential implications for both the government and opposition moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Antigua and Barbuda’s political landscape has seen a significant change as former opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Anthony Smith, became the first Independent MP to join the executive. Smith, who represents All Saints West, was sworn in as Minister for…","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":325976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[286,235,9,12,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-325975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-governance","category-homepage-carousel","category-news","category-politics","category-regional"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nANTIGUA: A former opposition member becomes the first independent MP to join the gov\u2019t - Dominica News Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/governance\/antigua-a-former-opposition-member-becomes-the-first-independent-mp-to-join-the-govt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ANTIGUA: A former opposition member becomes the first independent MP to join the gov\u2019t - Dominica News Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Antigua and Barbuda’s political landscape has seen a significant change as former opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Anthony Smith, became the first Independent MP to join the executive. 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