ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda — Opposition leader Jamale Pringle was ordered out of a joint sitting of Parliament on Tuesday after presiding officials ruled that he had not fulfilled the constitutional requirement of taking the oath of allegiance before participating in proceedings.  

The dramatic development unfolded at the opening of the parliamentary session when Senate President Alincia Williams-Grant informed lawmakers that Pringle had not yet been sworn in and therefore could not lawfully take part in the sitting.  

According to local media reports, Williams-Grant said the issue had been raised before the session began and efforts were made to address the matter privately. However, when Pringle entered the chamber, the dispute was handled publicly.  

“If the members in this house have not taken the oath, they should not be in this house,” Williams-Grant reportedly said before asking Pringle to leave the chamber or face removal by the sergeant-at-arms.  

Pringle subsequently exited the chamber quietly, accompanied by opposition senators in a walkout that temporarily disrupted proceedings.  

Local reports indicated that Pringle had been overseas when newly elected parliamentarians were initially sworn in earlier this month.  

The controversy comes weeks after Antigua and Barbuda’s general election, in which Prime Minister Gaston Browne secured a fourth consecutive term in office for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party. The opposition United Progressive Party was reduced to a single parliamentary seat, retained by Pringle.  

The dispute also unfolds amid broader constitutional changes in Antigua and Barbuda. Earlier this month, elected officials began using a revised oath of allegiance pledging loyalty to the state rather than the British monarch, following constitutional amendments approved in late 2025.  

No official statement had been issued by Pringle immediately following the incident, though local media reported that opposition lawmakers challenged the handling of the matter.