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One significant change for Barbados is that it will no longer have to seek the queen’s blessing on appointments of ambassadors and other diplomats.
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The country will remain a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of 54 member states, mostly former British colonies and dependencies working together to promote good governance, free trade, economic cooperation, human rights, and social development. Barbados’ prime minister will continue overseeing the government’s day-to-day affairs.Īs a republic, Barbados is cutting one of the last remaining ties to the British crown-except for one. Mason’s role, like that of the queen’s, will be mostly symbolic. Even after it declared independence from England and became a parliamentary democracy, Barbados still recognized the British monarch as head of state therefore making it a constitutional monarchy.įor most Barbadians, the change won’t be that apparent, especially as the government drafts a new constitution to support its fully sovereign status. The move to a republic is the final step in the island’s journey that began in the early 1600s when English settlers claimed it for the British crown, which maintained control over its politics and trade. The transition comes after more than 40 years of debate, and 55 years to the day after the island nation went from being a colony to an independent state in 1966. Mason’s new role was approved by both houses of Barbados’ Parliament last month.