Barbados: Queen Elizabeth Removed as Head of State, First Ever President Elected

The British Commonwealth nation in the Caribbean will officially become a republic on 30 November 2021.

Dame Sandra Mason is the Barbados' first ever president. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Dame Sandra Mason, who is 72-years-old, will be sworn in as Barbados' first ever president on 30 November, which is the country's Independence Day from Britain, BBC reported.

Despite being free from colonial rule 55 years ago, Barbados remained an independent country but at the same time, a British Commonwealth nation with Queen Elizabeth as the head of state.

The former British colony in the Caribbean will officially become a republic on 30 November, 2021.

Sandra Mason was elected with an almost full consensus by the Barbados Parliament on Wednesday, 20 October.

Only one parliamentarian refused to vote, according to The Guardian.

Mason served as the governor-general of Barbados since 2018 and has also been the first woman to serve on the country's Court of Appeal.

Mia Mottley, who called this a righteous moment, will serve as the first prime minister, according to The Guardian.

The plan to establish itself as a republic was announced by Barbados last year in order to "fully leave [our] colonial past behind".

With approximately 285,000 inhabitants, Barbados is a thriving island that once relied heavily on sugar exports but is now making money from tourism too.

Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Dominica had the same political status as Barbados until its abolishment in the 1970s.

(With inputs from BBC and The Guardian)