The country that will abandon the monarchy and replace Queen Elizabeth II as head of state | Globalism

On Wednesday (20) a province of nearly 290,000 inhabitants, for the first time in history, elected a president to replace the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.

Last year, the island He had already indicated his intention to separate from the CommonwealthThe group of countries that make up the so-called British Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth emerged from the British Empire in the mid-20th century and Queen Elizabeth II has been at its head since the beginning of her reign in 1952.

After the rites announced for the founding of the republic, on November 30, the Parliament of Barbados indirectly elected Sandra Mason, 72, as president.

She was the first woman to serve on the High Court of Appeal, and in 2018 she became the Queen’s official representative on the island, serving as Governor General.

“The House and Senate met to elect the first President of Barbados, another milestone on the road to the Republic,” the country’s government celebrated on a social network.

By electing a president, Elizabeth II would lose her sovereignty over Barbados. The “divorce” with the British Crown was announced in September 2020 by the Governor-General herself.

“Having gained independence more than half a century ago, our country can never doubt its ability to govern itself,” Mason said in a speech in the capital, Bridgetown.

Countries that have already relinquished the crown

On November 30, when Barbados celebrates 55 years of independence from the British, it will become a republic, but it won’t be the first country to leave the throne among the Caribbean nations.

Guyana – formerly British Guiana, which borders Brazil – took this path in 1970, less than four years after gaining its independence.

Then, in the 1970s, two countries left the monarchy to establish themselves as a republic: Trinidad and Tobago, in 1976; and Dominica in 1978.

In the past, Jamaica has expressed its dissatisfaction with the British monarchy but has not gone ahead with the secession process.

Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State in the United Kingdom and 15 other countries:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Canada
• Granada
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Solomon Islands
• TUV

popular tourist destination

Barbados’ economy is highly dependent on tourism. The destination is particularly popular among British high society for its cultural proximity.

This is the easternmost island in the Caribbean Sea, located about 300 kilometers from Venezuela.

Before the Covid-19 epidemic, more than a million tourists visited the country annually and it was famous for its stunning beaches and crystal clear waters.

The island’s Governor General Sandra Mason, in her speech last year, reiterated Barbados’ intention to “leave its colonial past completely behind”.

This was already a constant demand from the community in this Caribbean region, which saw “imperial assemblies” in the presence of the king.

More than half a century after gaining independence from the United Kingdom, the people of Barbados have elected a local head of state.

“This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of,” Mason said at the time.