The Jamaican government has made a move towards removing King Charles as its ceremonial head of state in order to become a republic.
On Dec. 10, Jamaica’s Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte tabled the Constitution (Amendment) Republic Act 2024 in the House of Representatives, the Lower House of Parliament, introducing the legislation to start the process of replacing King Charles with a Jamaican president.
Jamaica is one of 14 realms where the King, 76, is head of state, and Forte previously said that Jamaica would move to become a republic by the next general election in 2025, according to the BBC.
Forte called the step a “historic moment,” the Jamaica Observer reported. The outlet said the bill will now lay on the table of the House until March 2025 before it can be read for a second time, likely kickstarting a debate about the British crown’s future relationship to the former colony.
