Commonwealth Observers Call — Again — for Independent Governance of ABS; A Recommendation Ignored Since 2023

For the second consecutive election cycle, Commonwealth observers have called on Antigua and Barbuda to place the Antigua Broadcasting Service under independent governance — a recommendation that was made in 2023, went unheeded, and has now been repeated in the final report on the April 30, 2026 general election.

In its final report on the April 30, 2026 general election, the Commonwealth Observer Group recommended that the Antigua Broadcasting Service be incorporated as a state-owned entity governed by an independent board of directors. The recommendation, first made by previous Commonwealth observer missions, was presented as a way to address concerns about accessibility, fairness, and perceived bias in state media coverage.

"As recommended by the COG in 2023, the incorporation of ABS as a state-owned entity with an independent board of directors governing its policies, operations and programming could help mitigate some of the challenges regarding accessibility, fairness and bias," the report stated.

A Media Environment Described as Active — But Politically Polarised

The observer group described Antigua and Barbuda's media environment as active and diverse, with radio, television, online platforms, and social media playing significant roles in informing voters during the election campaign. However, the report noted concerns raised by stakeholders regarding political polarisation, editorial independence, and allegations of bias in state-owned media.

A Suite of Reforms Proposed

Observers highlighted the absence of a codified election-specific media code of conduct and called for broader reforms to depoliticise the media landscape. Additional recommendations included establishing an independent media council or monitoring body and encouraging balanced coverage and fair access for all political parties.

The Commonwealth Observer Group concluded that the 2026 election was conducted in a peaceful, orderly, and transparent manner overall but said improvements to media regulation and governance would further strengthen trust in the democratic process.

A Pattern of Unanswered Recommendations

The repetition of the ABS recommendation — verbatim, three years later — tells its own story. In a functioning democracy, observer recommendations are received, debated, and acted upon. In Antigua and Barbuda, the 2023 recommendation on ABS independence was filed away without action, leaving international monitors no choice but to raise it again after the 2026 election.

ABS, which is publicly funded and therefore belongs to all Antiguans and Barbudans regardless of political affiliation, has long been criticised by opposition parties and civil society voices for coverage they describe as disproportionately favourable to the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party. Under the current arrangement, the station operates without an independent oversight structure capable of holding its editorial decisions to account.

The Commonwealth's call for an independent board is neither radical nor unprecedented — it is the standard model for public broadcasters in mature democracies the world over. The only question is whether the fifth-term Browne administration will find the political will to implement a reform that would, by definition, reduce its own influence over the nation's primary state broadcaster.

Based on the record of the past three years, that remains an open and deeply uncertain question.