Barbados prepares to drop Queen as head of state

[Expatissimo]

Barbados elects first president as it prepares to drop Queen as head of state

Dame Sandra Mason, the governor-general of Barbados, will replace the Queen as the island’s head of state
Mason, a 72-year-old judge and former ambassador, will be sworn in on 30 November, the 55th anniversary of her country’s independence from Britain in 1966.

Barbados announced its decision to part company with the monarchy in September 2020 amid an intensifying global debate on the malign legacy of colonialism and racial injustice.

Barbados is not the first Caribbean country to forsake the Queen. Guyana did so in 1970, four years after gaining independence from Britain, and was followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976 and, two years later, Dominica. Barbados may also not be the last. Its decision to become a republic has amplified a long-running debate in Jamaica over whether it should also turn away from the monarchy.

Who's next ? Australia, New Zealand, Virgin Islands ?