(MENAFN- Live Mint) Jamaica has made the first move to dethrone King Charles as head of state in a bid to become a republic. The country seeks to abolish the constitutional monarchy in a recent bill tabled in the Jamaican parliament.
Jamaica is one of 14 realms where the King, 76, is head of state.
On December 10, Jamaica's Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte introduced the legislation to start the process of replacing King Charles with a Jamaican president.
If the bill is passed, a Jamaican president will assume the role of ceremonial head of state, while the prime minister will serve as head of government.
Forte had previously said that Jamaica would move to become a republic by the next general election in 2025, according to the BBC.
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After gaining independence in 1962, Jamaica, like many other former British colonies, retained the monarch as its head of state, with the monarch represented in the country by a governor-general.
Although the British monarchy has no actual authority over Jamaican public affairs and its role is largely ceremonial, it is often perceived as a vestige of colonial rule.
“Every year when we celebrate independence on August 6, the nation is invited to reflect on its achievements since independence and what remains to be done, and every year the question is asked when are we going to abolish the monarchy and have a Jamaican head of state,” Forte told The Guardian.
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Beyond replacing the British monarch with a Jamaican president as ceremonial head of state, Jamaica's transition to a republic would involve several significant changes:
The Jamaican Constitution would undergo revisions to remove references to the monarchy and establish the framework for a republic. The definition of Jamaican citizenship will change, potentially affecting nationality laws and rights. The political architecture will likely be altered, including expanding the Senate to incorporate senators appointed independently of political parties, aiming to enhance non-partisan representation. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is also likely to be replaced with a Caribbean-based final appellate court, which would complete the separation from British legal oversight.
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The bill to remove King Charles as head of state has yet to pass several hurdles, including joint review, voting in parliament, and a national referendum.
It also requires the approval of the Opposition, which does not share the ruling party's views on Jamaica becoming a republic.
Donna Scott-Mottley, a spokesperson of the country's main opposition party People's National Party said,“We do not believe you can say that you're fully decolonised if you still retain the privy council as your apex court. So you cannot leave the king but still have to petition him when you want justice to be delivered to your people – and the privy council as the apex court is an anachronism in this context.”
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