Antigua and Barbuda, a Commonwealth country and former colony of the British Empire, will hold a referendum to become a democracy and remove King Charles III as head of state, its prime minister has announced.
Prime Minister Gaston Brown told Britain’s ITV: “This is a matter that should be put to a referendum for the people to decide.”
“This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete this cycle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation.”
He said the vote would likely take place over the next three years.
King Charles III is the monarch and head of state of 14 countries outside the United Kingdom, including Antigua and Barbuda.
His role is largely symbolic, but the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday sparked – amid international mourning – renewed debate about the impact of Britain’s imperial rule and the future relationship between the UK and some of these countries .
Queen Elizabeth II greets the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda in the Blue Room at the Queen’s Dinner during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace on April 19, 2018 in London, England. Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images
For example, writing for Insider, Kenyan author Patrick Gathara described the British monarchy, and thus the late queen’s reign, as “built on a systematic and sustained effort to erase the truth of colonial subjugation and plunder,” adding that “The The UK’s withdrawal from its colonial dominions was accompanied by the destruction, theft and concealment of vast reams of disturbing documents, including details of the appalling, systemic abuse and killing of prisoners during the 1950s emergency in Kenya.’
But discussions about the future of the Commonwealth and the British monarch remaining head of state of other countries were already taking place before her death.
For example, in November 2021, Barbados removed the Queen as head of state and became a republic. She was one of 17 countries to remove her as head of state during her reign.
Barbados’ move also sparked debate over whether or not the countries wanted to be part of the remnants of the British Empire.
Speaking to Insider after Barbados became a Republic, Adeyela Bennett, a non-profit business owner from the Bahamas—another former British colony—said “We love this particular Queen Elizabeth, but when we sit there and are honest with ourselves, we have to These are the people who colonized us. They are imperialists.”
