There were no political parties in the English-speaking Caribbean before universal adult suffrage came to the islands - in 1951 in the case of Antigua and Barbuda. Prior to adult suffrage, interested colonialist who wanted to be in government would place their names on the ballot, together with a deposit to the government treasury. Most of the officials would be elected by their peers in uncontested elections.

In recent times, Antigua and Barbuda has been dominated by two parties - the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and the United Progressive Party (UPP) . Each party nominates one candidate for each constituency. Independent candidates may also stand for elections. The current government is led by the ABLP.

Below we provide a list of the several parties which have been involved on the political scene of Antigua and Barbuda over the past 60 years.