Parliamentary Elections, 26 February 2025

On 26 February 2025, Anguilla held its two-day general election across Tuesday and Wednesday to elect 11-members of the 13-member House of Assembly (Times Caribbean Online, 2025). The day one 25 February was for senior citizens, emergency and other services, with the rest of the voters casting their votes the next day 26 February 2025 (Caymanian Times, 2025). Members of the Assembly are directly elected through a proportional voting system, with the remaining two seats reserved for ex-officio members. Voters can select one candidate from their single-member district and up to four candidates from the island-wide district. General elections are held every five years (Anguilla Focus, 2025)

The election was conducted and overseen by the Central Electoral Office (CEO), an independent body composed of three officers (CEO n.d.). The CEO is led by the Supervisor of Elections, and the office is responsible for managing candidate nominations, voting arrangements, tabulation, and result announcements (Electoral Office, 2025).

The Anguilla United Front (AUF) won eight of the eleven seats contested, enough to affect an alternation of power from the incumbent Anguilla Progressive Movement (APM) party. Cora Richardson-Hodge became Anguilla's first female premier, unseating outgoing Premier Ellis Lorenzo Webster (Ny Carib News, 2025).

Out of about 15,900 people, around 12,432 registered and delivered a clear mandate for change during the election (Times Caribbean Online, 2025). Turnout was down by 2.03 per cent, at 59.99 per cent compared to 61.02 percent in 2020 (International IDEA n.d.).

Observers reported that the 2025 election process was generally free and peaceful, with no major incidents of electoral violence documented during the election period. For example, an independent observation group called the Anguilla Independent Citizens Observers (AICO) involved in monitoring advanced voting, polling day conduct, and voter counting. While observers noted some procedural areas for improvement such as clearer signage at polling stations and enhanced electoral worker training, there were no confirmed widespread malpractices and or reported violence affecting the electoral integrity (The Daily Herald, 2025)

The 2025 parliamentary election in Anguilla was contested against the backdrop of debates surrounding economic and governance issues. Central to the campaign was the controversial Goods and Services Tax (GST), set at a rate of 13% by the outgoing administration, which the opposition stated it intended to reform or reduce in response to cost-of living pressures (Bird,R., 2025) The management and allocation of revenues derived from the territory’s lucrative “ai” country domain - a rapidly expanding source of public income linked to global artificial intelligence markets – also featured prominently, with competing proposals regarding its use for tax relief and broader development priorities (The Anguillian, 2025). 

Additional campaign themes included rising concerns about crime, tourism development, and economic diversification. The electoral period further saw public controversy over proposals to remove voting rights from members of the Anguillan diaspora; following sustained public criticism, the measure was ultimately withdrawn (The Anguillian, 2024)