WATCH: January 11 Spanish Community Election to Proceed Even After No Challengers Register

The January 11 leadership election within Antigua and Barbuda’s Spanish community will proceed with or without an opponent, after no challengers came forward to register by the deadline, according to long-time community representative Alex Martinez.

Martinez confirmed that the vote, called amid years of internal controversy over his claim to leadership, will go ahead unopposed, saying efforts to attract alternative candidates yielded no registrants.

The election was announced following mounting criticism from within the Spanish-speaking community, where some members questioned the legitimacy of Martinez’s role, arguing that he had never been formally elected or appointed.

Those concerns pushed the issue into the open and prompted calls for a transparent, democratic process to determine who should represent the community.