Barbados elects 72-year-old Dame as its first ever president as country prepares to remove Queen as head of state and become a republic
- Barbados as elected 72-year-old Dame Sandra Mason as its first ever President
- Her inauguration on November 30 will see the Queen removed as head of state
- New republic joins fellow Caribbean nations Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica
- Barbados had a constitutional monarchy from 1966 independence from Britain
Barbados has elected a 72-year-old Dame as its first ever president as the country prepares to remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic.
Dame Sandra Mason, the island nation's governor-general since 2018, will be sworn in on November 30 - the 55th anniversary of Barbados' independence from Britain.
She was voted in a joint session of the House of Assembly and the Senate on Wednesday. Prime Minister Mia Mottley described her election as a 'seminal moment' for the nation.
Last year Dame Sandra announced Barbados would become a remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic by November 2021 - 22 years after it was recommended in a constitutional review.
Barbados has elected Dame Sandra Mason, 72, as its first ever president as the country prepares to remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic
Last year, Dame Sandra announced Barbados would become a remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic by November 2021
'The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind. Barbadians want a Barbadian Head of State,' she said at the time, reading a speech written by Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
'This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving.
'Hence, Barbados will take the next logical step toward full sovereignty and become a Republic by the time we celebrate our 55th Anniversary of Independence.'
Buckingham Palace said at the time that Barbados' intention to remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic is a 'matter' for the Caribbean nation.
Downing Street said it was a 'decision for Barbados and the Government there' but that Britain would continue to 'enjoy a partnership' with the Caribbean island nation as members of the Commonwealth.
A Number 10 spokesman said: 'We obviously have a shared history and remain united with Barbados in terms of history, culture and language, and we will continue to have and enjoy a partnership with them as members of the Commonwealth.'
The country gained its independence from Britain in 1966, though the Queen remained its constitutional monarch.
Buckingham Palace said at the time that Barbados' intention to remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic is a 'matter' for the Caribbean nation (Pictured, the Queen with governor-general of Barbados Dame Sandra Mason at Windsor Castle in 2018)
Left, Queen Elizabeth ll smiles with a young girl in Barbados on November 1, 1977. Right, Queen Elizabeth II on a walkabout during a visit to Bridgetown
The Queen inspects a guard of honour upon arrival in Barbados in 1977
Prince Charles attends a wreath laying ceremony in Bridgetown in March 2019
In 1998, a Barbados constitutional review commission recommended republican status, and in 2015 Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said 'we have to move from a monarchical system to a republican form of government in the very near future'.
Barbados took another step away from the UK in 2003 when it replaced the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice, located in Trinidad and Tobago's Port of Spain, as its final appeals court.
Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur promoted the idea of a referendum on becoming a republic in 2005, however the vote was called off due to concerns raised by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Most Caribbean countries have kept formal links with the monarchy after achieving independence although Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and Guyana have all become republics.
Jamaica has also flagged such a transition, with Prime Minister Andrew Holness saying it is a priority of his government, but has yet to achieve it.
The map shows the Caribbean states where the Queen is still head of state. Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica removed the monarch and become republics in 1970, 1976 and 1978 respectively. Most other Caribbean nations have kept Queen Elizabeth II
Barbados: The country's colonial history
Barbados was one of the oldest English settlements in the West Indies, being surpassed only by Saint Kitts.
The countries' historical ties date back to the 17th century and involve settlement, post-colonialism and modern bilateral relations.
Since Barbados gained its independence in 1966, the nations have continued to share ties through the Commonwealth, with the Queen as Monarch.
The Barbadian Parliament is the third oldest in the entire Commonwealth and the island continues to practice the Westminster style of government.
Many of the historic Anglican churches and plantation houses across the island show the influence of English architecture.
In 1627, 80 Englishmen aboard the William and John landed on the Caribbean island and founded Jamestown (close to today's Holetown), in the name of King James I.
The early settlers struggled to develop a profitable export crop and faced difficulties in maintaining supplies from Europe.
However, the Sugar Revolution, the introduction of sugar cane from Dutch Brazil, in the 1640s was highly lucrative and over the next decade more than two thirds of English emigres to the Americas went to Barbados.
But while this shift to sugar yielded huge profits, it came at a great social cost. Thousands of West African slaves were shipped across the Atlantic to work the plantations and workers suffered from low wages and minimal social services.
The Sugar Revolution, the introduction of sugar cane from Dutch Brazil, in the 1640s was highly lucrative but came at great social cost
It is estimated that between 1627 to 1807, some 387,000 Africans were shipped to the island against their will and the country shifted from having a majority white population to a majority black population.
On 28th August 1833, the British Government passed the Slavery Abolition Act, and slaves across the British empire were granted emancipation.
Barbados remained a British colony until internal autonomy was granted in 1961.
The country became fully independent on November 30, 1966, during a time when the country's economy was expanding and diversifying.
The Barbadian Parliament then became a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, which is modeled on the British Westminster system of government.
The Queen and Prince Philip driving through Barbados waving to the crowds in February 1966
In 1998, a Barbados constitutional review commission recommended republican status.
The Caribbean state took a step away from the UK in 2003 when it replaced the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice, located in Trinidad and Tobago's Port of Spain, as its final appeals court.
In 2005, then-Prime Minister Owen Arthur made a bid for a referendum on republican status but the vote was called off due to concerns raised by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
In 2015 then-Prime Minister Freundel Stuart pushed harder for the move to a republic. He said: 'we have to move from a monarchical system to a republican form of government in the very near future'.
Dame Sandra Mason announced Barbados would remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic in September 2021.
Reading a speech written by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, (pictured) Dame Sandra said: 'The time has come to leave our colonial past behind'
Reading a speech written by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Dame Sandra said: 'The time has come to leave our colonial past behind. Barbadians want a Barbadian Head of State.'
A deadline of November 2021 - coinciding with the country's 55th anniversary of Barbados' independence from Britain - was set for achieving republican status.
Buckingham Palace said at the time that Barbados' intention to remove the Queen as head of state and become a republic is a 'matter' for the Caribbean nation.
The Caribbean island nation will officially become a republic when Dame Sandra Mason is inaugurated as President on November 30.
