Jamaica has officially commenced the process of becoming a republic that could behold Queen Elizabeth removed as Jamaica’s head of state in the year 2025.
This was however confirmed by head of the Caribbean nation’s legal ministry to its parliament. He stated that the process needed to remove Her Majesty will commence soon, with the aim of it being completed before forth coming election.
It was also disclosed that this shall be included as part of creation of new law of Jamaica which, if enforced, would change the country to a republic without a monarchy.
In order words, for Jamaica to become a republic, there are number of key votes expected to take place in both chambers of the Jamaican legislative, the House and Senate and also by a public vote.
This recent development comes after the island’s Prime Minister met with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge over the issue.
However, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness awkwardly revealed to them that his country was ‘moving on’ from the monarchy.
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In 2020, a poll revealed more than half of Jamaicans would vote to remove the Queen as head of state if given the choice.
Marlene Malahoo Forte QC, who is head of the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs on the island nation revealed to its parliament on Tuesday the move would show Jamaica’s ‘self-determination and cultural heritage’, The National reports.
According to her:
‘The goal is to ultimately produce a new Constitution of Jamaica, enacted by the Parliament of Jamaica, to inter alia, establish the Republic of Jamaica as a parliamentary republic, replacing the constitutional monarchy, and affirming our self-determination and cultural heritage.
‘I am pleased to advise this honourable House that the work to achieve this goal, while being done in stages, has formally commenced.’
She added that a cross-party committee would be set up to look into the exact form the new constitution should take.
Ms. Malahoo Forte added: ‘The reform work to be done in order to achieve the goal of a new constitution requires cooperation between the government and the parliamentary opposition, as well as the seal of the people.’
There is now a growing desire to remove the Queen as head of state in the country, which became independent from Britain in 1962.
Back In November, fellow Caribbean nation Barbados transitioned into being a republic, replacing Her Majesty with an elected President.
Guyana, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean removed her as head of state in the 1970s, while Mauritius in the Indian Ocean declared itself a republic in 1992.
