The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has promised to hold a referendum on the transition to a republic after the death of Queen Elizabeth II within three years.
On Saturday, Browne signed a document formally confirming the status of the new British king, Charles III, as the new head of state of the Caribbean archipelago.
However, the prime minister has assured that he will work for a referendum on the transition to a republic, as he had mentioned earlier this year, during a visit by Prince William to the islands.
“This is not an act of hostility or any dispute between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but the final step in completing that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation.”Browne told British television ITV.
Asked about a deadline for the referendum, the prime minister said it would “probably” take place “within the next three years.”
The islands of Antigua and Barbuda, which became independent in 1981, are due to hold general elections in 2023, so a referendum is expected during the new legislature.
Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, after more than 70 years of the longest reign in UK history.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21, 1926 in London and became Queen of England in 1952, at age 25, after the death of her father, George VI, who took over when his brother abdicated.
After the monarch’s death, her eldest son, Charles III, 73, was officially proclaimed the new king of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth countries on Saturday.
Among these countries, Belize and Jamaica had already shown this year their willingness to begin the transition to republican rule.
In November, another Caribbean archipelago, Barbados, became a republic, ending 55 years of constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
Source: TSF
