Editing Lester Bird (section)

==Political career==
Bird's political career began in 1971, when he was nominated to the [[Senate of Antigua and Barbuda|Senate]]. The frequently-dominant Antigua Labour Party was in opposition for a five-year period. Bird was named chairman of the ALP and the [[leader of the opposition]] in the Senate. Lester continued to serve as leader of the opposition until he was elected to the [[House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda|House of Representatives]] at the 1976 elections, when the ALP returned to power.<ref name="East"/> Bird joined his father's government as [[Deputy Premier of Antigua|Deputy Premier]]. In addition to serving as [[Deputy Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda|Deputy Prime Minister]], Bird also served as Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, and Energy. Bird's tenure as Minister of Tourism and Minister of Economic Development was controversial, and he personally benefited from tourism partnerships with foreign investors, including in the construction of the Royal Antiguan Hotel.<ref>Carolyn L. Cartier and Alan A. Lew, ''Seductions of place: geographical perspectives on globalization and touristed landscapes'' (2005). Psychology Press: p. 229.</ref>

Following independence in 1981, Bird gained the external affairs portfolio and was the first chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in 1982. He was chairman of OECS for a second time in 1989.<ref name="East"/> The ALP government and Bird himself won [[1994 Antigua and Barbuda general election|re-election in 1994]] and [[1999 Antigua and Barbuda general election|1999]]. These elections, as well as the 1989 elections, were highly controversial; the 1989 elections were "marred by irregularities and fraud" and charges made by the opposition, described as credible by [[Freedom House]], that the ALP used bribery and intimidation and exerted undue influence over the elections supervisor.<ref name="Freedom House">[[Freedom House]], ''Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights & Civil Liberties, 1993–1994'' (1994). University Press of America, pp. 117–119.</ref> The 1999 election was deemed neither free nor fair in an independent report which concluded that the opposition [[United Progressive Party]] (UPP) "conceivably could have won a majority of seats in parliament" if the election had been fair.<ref>[http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/americas/AG/Antigua%20and%20Barbuda%20-%20elctions%201999.pdf "The Failings of Governance in Antigua & Barbuda: The Elections of 1999"], 1 June 1999.</ref>

The ALP had been divided by a succession crisis between Lester Bird and Vere Bird Jr., since 1989. Lester Bird lost his deputy prime minister post in 1991, but retained the external affairs ministry and the planning and trade portfolio. Sir Vere Bird was initially thought to have favoured Vere Jr. until an arms scandal in which the elder son had been found to have been involved in the smuggling of weapons from Antigua to the Colombian [[Medellín Cartel]].<ref name="East"/><ref name="French"/><ref name="Freedom House"/> Vere Bird Jr., then Minister of Public Works, was dismissed from office and an inquiry, led by [[Louis Blom-Cooper|Sir Louis Blom-Cooper]], [[Queen's Counsel|Q.C.]], recommended that he never be allowed to hold office again (although he subsequently did return to office), boosting Lester Bird's chances to follow his father in the prime ministership and reducing pressure for Vere Bird to step down.<ref name="East"/><ref name="French"/><ref name="Freedom House"/>

In 1992, another scandal, involving Sir Vere Bird's siphoning of public funds into a personal account, furthered calls for him to step down, with three opposition parties uniting to form the UPP under the leadership of [[Baldwin Spencer (politician)|Baldwin Spencer]]. Following a successful [[general strike]] called by the UPP, Sir Vere announced in March 1992 he would step down at the 1994 general elections.<ref name="East"/><ref name="Freedom House"/> The ALP succession crisis continued following this, with a special convention to elect a successor on 24 May 1992 resulting in a deadlock between Lester Bird and [[John St. Luce]], the [[information minister]]. The ALP leadership question was finally settled at the party's September 1993 convention, at which Lester won the leadership of the party, defeating St Luce, 169 votes to 131. The party post of ALP chairman went to Vere Jr.<ref name="East"/><ref name="Freedom House"/>

In the [[1994 Antigua and Barbuda general election|March 1994 elections]], the ALP under Bird's leadership won 11 out of 17 seats even as the opposition criticized the ALP over corruption issues. During the election the ALP pledged [[open government]], an [[ombudsman]] to deal with citizen complaints, and new jobs, especially in [[Economy of Antigua and Barbuda|tourism]]. Bird assumed the prime ministership on 9 March 1994.<ref name="East"/> He appointed St. Luce (but not his brother Vere Jr.) to the cabinet. (Vere Jr. was subsequently named special adviser). Lester Bird took the portfolios for external affairs, planning, [[social services]], and information for himself, and in a 1996 [[cabinet reshuffle]] also took the communications, [[civil aviation]], international transport, and [[Gambling|gaming]] portfolios.<ref name="East"/>

In the [[1994 Antigua and Barbuda general election|1999 elections]], the ALP increased its parliamentary majority by one seat, holding 12 seats. Bird was reconfirmed as prime minister and elevated Vere Jr. to the cabinet as [[minister of agriculture]], marking his full [[political rehabilitation]]. Bird also shuffled his own portfolios and by December 2002 held the [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Antigua and Barbuda)|foreign affairs]], [[Finance Minister of Antigua and Barbuda|finance]], legal affairs, justice, and [[national security]] ministries in addition to being the prime minister.<ref name="East"/>

In the [[2004 Antigua and Barbuda general election|March 2004 election]], the ALP was defeated by the [[United Progressive Party (Antigua and Barbuda)|United Progressive Party]] (UPP) led by [[Baldwin Spencer (politician)|Baldwin Spencer]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Antigua and Barbuda General Election Results 2004 |url=http://www.caribbeanelections.com/ag/elections/ag_results_2004.asp |website=www.caribbeanelections.com |access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref> Bird's party lost eight seats, and he himself was defeated by [[Errol Cort]], who became [[Finance Minister of Antigua and Barbuda|Minister of Finance]] in the new UPP government.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caribbean Elections Biography {{!}} Errol Cort |url=http://caribbeanelections.com/knowledge/biography/bios/cort_errol.asp |website=caribbeanelections.com |access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref>

Bird remained the ALP's political leader following the party's 2004 defeat. He led the party in the [[2009 Antigua and Barbuda general election|March 2009 election]]; although the ALP lost the election, it gained 3 seats from the UPP and Bird defeated Cort by 96 votes in the St John's Rural East constituency, where he had lost in 2004. He subsequently held the position of [[Leader of the Opposition (Antigua and Barbuda)|Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeanelections.com/antigua/results/default.asp |title=Caribbean Elections &#124; Antigua and Barbuda Elections 2009 |accessdate=14 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125051829/http://www.caribbeanelections.com/antigua/results/default.asp |archivedate=25 November 2009 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.antiguasun.com/paper/?as=view&sun=281935077507132005&an=140029119612282007&ac=Columnist "Different parties similar woes - Reviewing the political affairs of 2007"], ''Antigua Sun'', 28 December 2007.</ref>

Bird was succeeded as ALP leader by [[Gaston Browne]] in December 2012,<ref>{{cite web |title=Gaston Browne Is Antigua's New Opposition Leader |url=https://radiojamaicanewsonline.com/local/gaston-browne-is-antiguas-new-opposition-leader |website=www.radiojamaicanewsonline.com}}</ref> who led the party to victory in [[2014 Antigua and Barbuda general election|June 2014 general election]]. Bird won a seat and again defeated Errol Cort.<ref>Jacqueline Charles, [http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/13/4175779/antigua-prime-minister-baldwin.html "Browne becomes new prime minister of Antigua, youngest ever"], ''Miami Herald'', 13 June 2014.</ref>

In 2014, he was made a [[Order of the National Hero (Antigua and Barbuda)|Knight of the Order of the National Hero]] (KNH) by Antigua and Barbuda.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://antiguaobserver.com/sir-lester-bird-receives-abs-highest-national-honour/|title = Sir Lester Bird receives A&B's highest national honour|date = 2014|accessdate = 10 January 2016|website = |publisher = The Daily Observer|last = |first = }}</ref>