St. Vincent & the Grenadines: PM Gonsalves proposes vote on removing Queen as head-of-state

St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, Monday proposed a single-item referendum asking citizens of the country to decide whether or not to replace Britain’s Queen Elizabeth with a non-executive, home-grown president as head of state.

In 2009, Vincentians overwhelmingly rejected the proposed revised constitution with 29,019 “no” votes and 22,493 “yes” votes.

“I agree that we are now 12 years away from the referendum,” said Gonsalves, who had previously said that he would leave the question of constitutional reform to future leaders.

On November 30, last year, Barbados removed the Queen of England as its head-of-state, electing Dame Sandra Mason as its first local head-of-state.

Gonsalves also said that if there is bipartisan support for the referendum a committee will also be set up to establish national honors, calling further for a simultaneous establishment of a body “to carry out a process of decolonization in names. -(CMC)