what does it mean to be a commonwealth country

I would have to have a referendum and hear what the people have to say to me … it is our people who will have to decide,” Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said September 9.Ī poll taken in August, before the queen’s death, showed that 56% of Jamaicans are in favor of removing the British monarch as head of state. “The only challenge with us moving to a republic is that I can't, as much as I would wish to do so, I can't do it without you all to consent. For the first time, the government of the Bahamas this week said such a referendum was possible. Lucia, both in the Caribbean, have expressed similar plans. What is appropriate right now is to commemorate the life of service of Queen Elizabeth II,” Albanese told reporters this week.Īntigua and Barbuda, as well as St. “It’s not appropriate now … to talk about constitutional change. And I think that now that Queen Elizabeth has passed, there is going to be certainly more of a move to disassociate themselves from the commonwealth,” Niaah said.Īustralia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, an avowed republican who was elected in May, wants a referendum on removing the British monarch as head of state in the next parliament. “Many countries have really been considering their own role, their own place in the commonwealth.

“The death of Queen Elizabeth absolutely will mark a turning point,” said Sonjah Stanley Niaah of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, in an interview with VOA on Wednesday. In 2018, the organization agreed to appoint Charles as its head upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, prompting anger among some members, especially in the Caribbean. Echoing the ceremonies in London, proclamation ceremonies were held in several capitals, from Nassau in the Bahamas to Suva in Fiji.įifty-six countries are members of the Commonwealth, an association of mostly former British colonies. Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica are among 14 other nations where King Charles III is the new head of state. The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II last week has sparked renewed debate in many Commonwealth countries, most of them former British colonies, about their future ties to the monarchy.īritain wasn’t alone in proclaiming a new king upon the death of Elizabeth.

What does it mean to be a commonwealth country