General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 26 July 1946.Brian Dyde (2000) A History of Antigua: The Unsuspected Isle, Macmillan Caribbean, p237 The elections were held under a limited franchise and only those who owned property were permitted to stand for election to the legislature. The Antigua Trades and Labour Union (ATLU) chose five of its members who satisfied the property criteria to stand as labour representatives. All were elected as the union-backed candidates received 82% of the vote.The Origins and Development of Political Parties in the British West Indies, Volume 2, University of California, p580 Nationwide colonial elections had been suspended in 1898 due to concerns over too many black representatives being elected as well as a financial crisis affecting the plantocracy.Crisis and Empire
One of the five was union leader and future Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Vere Bird, who first entered the Antigua and Barbuda legislature through a by-election in 1945.
Results The five union-backed candidates won their seats by large margins.
Aftermath Following the elections, Bird was chosen by the Governor of Antigua to sit on the Executive Council of the colony.
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