Barbados has become a republic, leaving the Queen of Britain | Political Issues

Barbados is supposed to be a republic, replacing Queen Elizabeth II as their leader and ending a centuries-old relationship with the British crown on the 55th anniversary of the birth of the Caribbean from the United Kingdom.

Prince Charles of the UK arrived in Barbados late Sunday as the country prepares to oust the Queen and Sandra Mason, the former governor-general who is also the island’s first president.

The move will not have a major impact on international relations, as the queen’s role as head of state has become symbolic.

The role that Mason, who was elected last month with part of the House of Assembly and Senate in the country, it will once again be formal, behind Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.

“Tonight is the night!” read the headline on the front page of the Daily Nation newspaper in Barbados.

The Barbadian Music & Dance Festival will begin at 8pm local time (00:00 GMT), with Mason set off shortly after midnight – coinciding with Barbados Freedom Day on Tuesday.

Moving to republicanism – which local leaders described as “the next step towards universal domination” – was announced last year at the annual address of the Throne.

“The time has come for us to abandon our colonialism,” said Mason, who spoke on behalf of Mottley during his time as governor. “The Barbadians want a Barbadian leader.”

In the capital Bridgetown, Barbadians have been preparing for the celebrations of their new country, Prince Charles, the British heir apparent, is expected to deliver a speech emphasizing that good relations between the island and the UK will continue even in the face of legal change.

“I’m happy. We are alone now without the king or queen of England,” Nigel Mayers, 60, who sells oranges in the city center, told Reuters. “This is a complete collapse after independence.”

Prince Charles of the UK talks with Barbados President-elect Sandra Mason as she arrives at Grantley Adams Airport in Bridgetown on November 28th. [Toby Melville/Reuters]

Barbados remains a republic within the Commonwealth, a group of 54 countries in Africa, Asia, America and Europe.

But her departure from the monarchy will bring the number of Commonwealth nations – countries that continue to have a queen as their leader – to 15, including Jamaica, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

The last country to leave the crown was the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius in 1992.

Experts say the move to Barbados could lead Republicans to other areas of the commonwealth, especially in Jamaica, where two major political parties are united in defiance of the empire.

Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine from London, said the idea of ​​Barbados was a “natural development” that began with the reign of Queen Elizabeth in 1952.

“I think it is one that will continue, not in the current regime but in the next – and it may continue,” he told AFP.

An island of about 300,000 people, Barbados gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.

The country was ruled by Britain from the 1620s, when British citizens turned the country into a sugar-dependent country for the work of thousands of African slaves until their release in 1834.

The brutal history of Barbados and other Caribbean islands has prompted retaliation from the UK.

But the COVID-19 epidemic has wreaked havoc on Barbados’ economy, which is based on tourism, and some people say the people are more affected by this than by the coming legislative changes.

“I think everyone is very worried about the dollar today and what it means tomorrow, especially commodity prices,” Laurie Callender, a 43-year-old information expert, told Reuters. “People are talking a lot about this, in my opinion.”