Will the coronation of King Charles next Saturday be the beginning of the end for other countries to have the British monarch as head of state? Several countries throw out a fire torch ahead of the grand ceremony at the weekend. On Saturday 6 May, King Charles will be crowned. Queen Camilla is to be crowned as queen. Photo: Alastair Grant / AP Jamaica is signaling to break with the British monarchy as early as this year. The population must be tired of having a monarch from the old colonial power as their head. The Australian government says it will open a referendum on the issue if it is allowed to continue after the next election. New Zealand as a republic? The latest fire torch comes from the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, New Zealand. Photo: Mark Mitchell / AP – Ideally, New Zealand will eventually become a completely independent country, says the Prime Minister according to The Guardian. Chris Hipkins wants an arrangement where the country no longer has the British monarch as head of state. Hipkins said this shortly before he was due to travel to the UK in connection with the coronation of King Charles next Saturday. Although New Zealand has full self-government, the British monarch still has a ceremonial role as head of state in the former British colony. New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits Buckingham Palace on September 17, 2022. Photo: Stefan Rousseau / AP The British royal house is represented by a Governor-General of New Zealand, who in practice acts as head of state. – But replacing the governor-general with another head of state is not a priority task that is urgent right now, he adds. Referendum in Australia In Australia, there is growing opposition to the country’s head of state sitting in a castle in a country on another continent. The opposition has gained momentum after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Now, before the coronation of King Charles, T-shirts are being sold that say “Democracy, not monarchy” under the auspices of the “Australian Republican Movement”. The supporters of the current form of government, on the other hand, sell T-shirts with the inscription “Keep the Crown”. They are looking forward to the coronation. The Labor Party has been in power in Australia for the past year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promises a referendum on whether the country should become a republic if the Labor Party gets another term in government offices, writes The Guardian. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promises a referendum on the country’s future if his Labor Party wins the next election. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters Australia’s new ambassador to London believes it is only a matter of time before Australia is a republic. – It is inevitable in my opinion, says Stephen Smith to The Times. When the prime minister of Australia was inaugurated a year ago, he signed a document of ‘faith and obedience’ to the British monarch. This is a tradition that is common every time a new prime minister comes to power. Jamaica tired of the “colonial power” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has stated that his country is “moving on”. – We want to take a step further in redefining who we are as a country and as a sovereign people, he said. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness was received at Buckingham Palace on September 17, 2022. Photo: Stefan Rousseau / AP Steven Golding, head of the nationalist organization UNIAA-ACL believes it is crucial for Jamaica to break ties with the monarchy. – Considering the horrors we suffered during the time of slavery and throughout the colonial period, I think it is the last piece of the puzzle in terms of our sovereignty as an independent nation, says Golding. An opinion poll from 2022 found that 56 percent of Jamaicans want to remove the monarch as head of state, writes NTB. – Jamaicans are more attuned to the situation now and probably more inclined to want and support a separation from the monarchy, statistician Don Anderson told Reuters. Queen Elizabeth. The picture was taken on 1 December 2016. Photo: POOL / Reuters The emotional ties to the Queen that persisted among older Jamaicans have probably disappeared now, he continued. Loyalty to Queen Elizabeth If Jamaica cuts the courts of the British monarchy, it will follow in the footsteps of another former British colony in the Caribbean, namely Barbados. Barbados removed the British monarch as head of state in 2021. Antigua and Barbuda, Belize and the Bahamas have all expressed interest in doing the same. Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica are already republics. When Charles took over as king after his mother’s death, Charles became head of state not only for Great Britain, but also for 14 other countries. There is much evidence that governments and the population of several countries felt a loyalty to Queen Elizabeth. The same feelings are not as strong towards King Charles and make it easier to break with the British monarchy.
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Several countries do not want King Charles as head of state – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
