The former British colony gained independence from Great Britain in 1981 but is one of only 14 countries outside the UK where the British monarch is head of state. It is also part of the Commonwealth, a 56-member organization of most of the former British territories.
“This is an issue that must be put to a referendum for the people to decide,” he said, adding that it was not meant to “show any form of disrespect to the king. This is not the case. is an act of hostility, or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy.”
He explained that it would be “the final step to complete the circle of independence to become a truly sovereign nation.”
Questions were raised in March about the monarchy’s continued role in the region after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then William and Catherine visited three Commonwealth kingdoms – Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas – on a trip to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 70th anniversary. year of the throne.
Last year, Barbados severed its last imperial links with Britain by declaring itself a republic.
Barbados’ decision marks the first time in nearly three decades that a kingdom has chosen to remove the British monarch as head of state. The last country to do so was the island of Mauritius in 1992. Like that country, Barbados remains part of the Commonwealth.
