THE BAHAMAS may hold a referendum to become a republic, according to the country’s prime minister.
The news follows moves from Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and rumors that Belize is following Barbados’ lead and ditching the monarchy as head of state.
Prime Minister Phillip Davis says the people of the Bahamas will have to decide whether the Caribbean country should cut ties with the British monarchy.
Speaking to reporters on the Senate floor, Davis said he needs the public’s support before moving forward with the decision.
“The only challenge with our transition to a republic is that I can’t, as much as I’d like to do it, I can’t do it without your consent,” he said.
He added: “I will hold a referendum and the Bahamian people will have to say yes to me.”
He reiterated that power is in the hands of the people, telling reporters “for me, it always is, but again it is our people who will have to decide.”
The Queen’s death last Thursday has sparked renewed calls for the Caribbean nation to transition to republic status.
Earlier this year, both Belize and Jamaica signaled plans to become republics.
In March, Minister of Constitutional and Political Reform, Henry Charles Usher told fellow ministers in the Belizean parliament that Belize must own their independence.
In June, a senior minister announced in the House of Representatives that Jamaica will transition to a republic by 2025.
According to the Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, a Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) is now being established.
“The aim is to eventually produce a new Constitution of Jamaica, adopted by the Parliament of Jamaica, to, among other things, establish the Republic of Jamaica as a parliamentary republic, replacing the Constitutional Monarchy and affirming our self-determination and cultural heritage. said Mrs. Malahoo Forte.
If Jamaica becomes the next Caribbean republic, the country will follow in the footsteps of others in the region who elected a head of state in the country.
Guyana became a republic in 1970, followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976, Dominica in 1978 and Barbados becoming the world’s newest republic last year.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Haiti became the world’s first black republic and the first independent Caribbean nation after overthrowing French colonial control.
Haitian independence is said to have influenced many subsequent rebellions by enslaved people throughout the Caribbean.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, King Charles III is now head of state in several Caribbean islands, including Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Bahamas gained its political independence from Britain on July 10, 1973.
