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Barbados becomes republic as first president replaces Queen Elizabeth II as head of state

However, the republic will remain a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

HAVANA, November 30. /TASS/. The Caribbean island state of Barbados officially became a republic on Tuesday as its first president Sandra Mason, elected in October, replaced British Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. A ceremony marking the island’s transition to a republic was broadcast live on the government’s website.

Prince Charles, who arrived in Barbados on Sunday, attended the ceremony. The queen’s standard was lowered in National Heroes Square in the capital Bridgetown.

In late September, the House of Assembly (the lower house of parliament) passed constitutional amendments removing the queen as head of state. In October, lawmakers elected 72-year-old Governor General Sandra Mason as president.

However, Barbados will remain a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association almost entirely made up of former territories of the British Empire headed by the British monarch. Barbados, an eastern Caribbean island with a population of over 287,000, became independent on November 30, 1966.

Military operation in Ukraine

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