Gaston Browne was in a particular hurry. The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda did not know any restraint after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. As soon as it was known that Queen’s son Charles was the new king, Browne announced on the British broadcaster ITV that a referendum would take place within three years on whether the country with almost 100,000 inhabitants should become a republic. The Caribbean state is no exception: With the death of the “eternal” queen, discussions about the right form of government have flared up in many former British colonies. A global overview.
Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda is not an outlier in the region. Here lies half of the 14 countries where King Charles III. outside the United Kingdom is still the head of state. When Queen’s grandson Prince William was traveling in the Caribbean in March, there were protests. In Jamaica, protesters demanded an apology and reparations for colonial-era crimes. “We are moving on,” said Prime Minister Andrew Holness, standing next to William, in reference to the monarchy. So far there have been no concrete steps.
In a July survey by the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, 56 percent of more than 1,000 respondents in the island state, which used to be an extremely lucrative colony due to slave labor on sugar cane plantations, supported a departure from the crown. Now voices have been raised that see the right moment has come. “The Queen is dead; time to cut ties,” read the headline of a guest post in the Jamaica Observer. In November 2021, Barbados had already solemnly renounced the royal family in the presence of the then Prince Charles – without a referendum.
Oceania
The discussion about the monarchy was particularly heated recently in Australia. Thousands protested against the crown on a national day of mourning in honor of Elizabeth II. Flags were burned, painted over in the colors of the Aboriginal flag in homage to the Queen. Because Aborigines in particular associate the monarchy with the colonization and oppression of indigenous peoples. Green leader Adam Bandt said Australia now has a new king, “but we didn’t elect this man”. The head of state must be elected by the people and for the people.
In a 1999 referendum, 45 percent of Australians voted to leave the crown. Various surveys recently gave a narrow result. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stressed that he was not currently planning a referendum. In the past he had repeatedly indicated that he wanted to make Australia a republic.
In New Zealand, too, there are calls for a different form of government. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she expects the country to become a republic in her lifetime, but her government has more pressing tasks at the moment. In the South Seas state of Tuvalu, the smallest member of the Commonwealth, two referendums in 1986 and 2008 resulted in a majority for the monarchy. But the topic has flared up again, and a constitutional amendment is being considered.
North America
The Canadian government will not change the country’s parliamentary monarchy system. It offers “extraordinary stability,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said. “We have an exceptional Governor-General who embodies the best of Canadians, and we have a Crown who oversees what is happening, sometimes from a comfortable distance.” The system is well balanced and serves Canadians very well.
In the second largest country in the world in terms of area, Mary Simon has been the official representative of the head of state for the first time since 2021. In general, attitudes towards the crown vary greatly by region and age. In the French-influenced province of Quebec, for example, there is a clear majority of opponents of the monarchy, as a recent survey found out. On the other hand, there are more supporters in Ontario and along the Atlantic coast. On the west coast, people are often considered rather indifferent to this question.
Africa
The continent is a special case. 21 African countries are currently members of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, the British monarch is not the head of state in any of them. Most African Commonwealth countries were crown colonies until the mid-20th century, such as Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. But in the meantime the British confederation has also established itself as a political alternative for other African countries. Former Portuguese colonies such as Mozambique were already looking to join in the 1990s, and Angola submitted an application for admission. Even more interest comes from former French colonies: Central African Gabon and West African Togo became members in 2022 – although France offers a similar organization with the so-called Francophonie.
United Kingdom
Even in King Charles’ homeland, the change in the throne is a reason for some people to push for changes. The interest group Republic called for a national debate on the future of the monarchy just two days after the death of the Queen. “The proclamation of a new king is an affront to democracy,” said spokesman Graham Smith. According to Republic, more than a quarter of Britons are now in favor of abolishing the monarchy. Politically, the Scots in particular are pushing for a detachment from London. However, this should not have any consequences for the crown: the pro-independence party SNP has repeatedly made it clear that an independent Scotland would remain a monarchy.
