BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) - The prime minister of Barbados has announced plans to make the Caribbean island a republic, replacing the Queen of England as the official head of state with a locally elected president.
The government will present Parliament with a draft bill to amend the former British colony's constitution in March, Prime Minister Owen Arthur told supporters Sunday night.He said Barbados should switch to a republic because it is "secure in its own identity to have one of its own become its supreme head of state".
Arthur said he favours a system where the president is head of state, although he didn't say if Barbados would remain a member of the British Commonwealth.
Barbados became independent in 1966, but still recognises the Queen of England as the official head of state. The queen is represented on the island by the largely ceremonial role of governor-general.
