From 1958 to 1967, after the ending of the Leeward Islands Federation, St Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla belonged to the short-lived West Indies Federation. Their status then became that of a state in voluntary association with Britain, in a first step towards self-government. Anguilla broke away from the group in 1971, becoming a Crown Colony. There was a strong movement for Nevis to do likewise, and independence was delayed because of this dispute until September 19, 1983. Dr Kennedy Simmonds of the PAM was elected Prime Minister in 1980 and held office until July 1995. The 1993 elections became controversial when the PAM and the Labour Party each won four seats; the CCM, two; and the NRP, one. The Governor-General asked Dr Simmonds to form a coalition government with the NRP, even though the Labour Party had won 54 per cent of the votes cast on St Kitts, compared with 42 per cent for the PAM. A state of emergency with a curfew was imposed for ten days because of the rioting and other disturbances that followed, and the Labour Party boycotted parliament. In 1994 a corruption scandal linked senior political figures with drug trafficking, murder, and prison riots. A forum of national unity was subsequently called and it was decided that general elections should be held three years ahead of schedule. The Labour Party won a comfortable majority with seven seats-compared with one for the PAM-and its leader, Dr Denzil Douglas, became Prime Minister.
Official Name- Anguilla
Capital City -The Valley
Languages -English (official)
Official Currency- East Caribbean Dollar
Religions- Anglican, Methodist, others
Population -11,712
Land Area -91 sq km Time and Date in The Valley
