Barbados Elects A Black Woman President, Replacing Britain’s Queen Elizabeth

BARBADOS ELECTED SANDRA MASON TO BE ITS FIRST-EVER PRESIDENT

Barbados shed its colonial past and elected Sandra Mason to be its first President. The decision comes after a joint session of the country’s House of Assembly and Senate, which elected her by a convincing two-thirds vote. This move will replace Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state.

“Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state. This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving,” the incoming President said in a speech in September 2020.

Barbados makes new push to become republic, leave colonial past behind | Reuters

Barbados is set to become a republic some 55 years after it gained independence from the United Kingdom. For the last few months, Barbados has shed symbols of its colonial past, taking down statues and removing Queen Elizabeth II from the role of head of state. Last week Barbados Parliament elected a president, Dame Sandra Mason, which means that two women – the prime minister and president – will lead the country when Mason is sworn in next month.