Editing History of Barbados (section)

== Independence ==
Due to several years of growing autonomy, Barbados, with Barrow at the helm, was able successfully to negotiate its independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom in June 1966. After years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados finally became an independent state and formally joined the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] on 30 November 1966, Errol Barrow serving as its first prime minister.

The Barrow government sought to diversify the economy away from agriculture, seeking to boost industry and the tourism sector. Barbados was also at the forefront of regional integration efforts, spearheading the creation of [[CARIFTA]] and [[CARICOM]].<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Barbados |title=Encyclopedia Britannica- Barbados |access-date=9 July 2019 |archive-date=8 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008193237/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52655/Barbados/54603/History |url-status=live }}</ref> The DLP lost the [[1976 Barbadian general election]] to the BLP under [[Tom Adams (politician)|Tom Adams]]. Adams adopted a more conservative and strongly pro-Western stance, allowing the Americans to use Barbados as the launchpad for their [[United States invasion of Grenada|invasion of Grenada]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-airport boss recalls Cubana crash |last=Carter |first=Gercine |url=http://www.nationnews.com/index.php/articles/view/ex-airport-boss-recalls-cubana-crash/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124195240/http://www.nationnews.com/index.php/articles/view/ex-airport-boss-recalls-cubana-crash/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 January 2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Nation (Barbados)|Nation Newspaper]] |date=26 September 2010 |access-date=16 October 2011}}</ref> Adams died in office in 1985 and was replaced by [[Harold Bernard St. John]]; however, St. John lost the [[1986 Barbadian general election]], which saw the return of the DLP under Errol Barrow, who had been highly critical of the US intervention in Grenada. Barrow, too, died in office, and was replaced by [[Lloyd Erskine Sandiford]], who remained prime minister until 1994.

[[Owen Arthur]] of the BLP won the [[1994 Barbadian general election]], remaining prime minister until 2008.<ref name=DN5>[[Dieter Nohlen]] (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p90 {{ISBN|978-0-19-928357-6}}</ref> Arthur was a strong advocate of republicanism, though a planned referendum to replace Queen Elizabeth as Head of State in 2008 never took place.<ref name="cnn_republic">{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/02/07/vote.shtml |title=Barbados to vote on move to republic |author=Norman 'Gus' Thomas |publisher=Caribbean Net News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228082001/http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/02/07/vote.shtml |archive-date=2007-12-28}}</ref> The DLP won the [[2008 Barbadian general election]], but the new Prime Minister [[David Thompson (Barbadian politician)|David Thompson]] died in 2010 and was replaced by [[Freundel Stuart]]. The BLP returned to power [[2018 Barbadian general election|in 2018]] under [[Mia Mottley]], who became Barbados's first female prime minister.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bb/elections/bb_results_2018.asp |title=Barbados General Election Results 2018 |website=caribbeanelections.com |access-date=26 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912213745/http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bb/elections/bb_results_2018.asp |archive-date=12 September 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Transition to republic ===
{{Main|Republicanism in Barbados}}

The Government of Barbados announced on 15 September 2020 that it intended to become a republic by 30 November 2021, the 55th anniversary of its independence resulting in the replacement of the hereditary monarch of Barbados with an elected president.<ref>{{cite web |last=Yasharoff |first=Hannah |title=Barbados announces plan to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state next year |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/09/16/queen-elizabeth-removed-barbados-head-state-barbados-says/5814409002/ |access-date=16 September 2020 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US |archive-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007081350/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/09/16/queen-elizabeth-removed-barbados-head-state-barbados-says/5814409002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/americas/barbados-elects-first-president-intl-hnk/index.html |title=Barbados elects first president, replacing UK Queen as head of state |date=22 October 2021 |access-date=23 October 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026044014/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/americas/barbados-elects-first-president-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Barbados would then cease to be a [[Commonwealth realm]], but could maintain membership in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], like [[Guyana]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Team |first=Caribbean Lifestyle Editorial |date=15 September 2020 |title=Barbados to become an Independent Republic in 2021 |url=https://caribbeanlifestyle.com/barbados-to-become-republic-by-2021/ |access-date=2020-09-15 |website=Caribbean Culture and Lifestyle |language=en-US |archive-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923111016/https://caribbeanlifestyle.com/barbados-to-become-republic-by-2021/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Speare-Cole |first=Rebecca |date=2020-09-16 |title=Barbados to remove Queen as head of state by November 2021 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/barbados-queen-head-of-state-removal-a4548381.html |access-date=16 September 2020 |website=Evening Standard |language=en |archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813201215/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/barbados-queen-head-of-state-removal-a4548381.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=17 September 2020 |title=Wickham predicts Barbados' republic model to mirror Trinidad's |url=https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/09/17/wickham-predicts-barbados-republic-model-to-mirror-trinidads/ |url-status=live |editor1-last=Madden |editor1-first=Marlon |department=Top Featured Article |publisher=Barbados Today |publication-date=17 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813162631/https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/09/17/wickham-predicts-barbados-republic-model-to-mirror-trinidads/ |archive-date=13 August 2021 |access-date=4 June 2021 |url-access= |quote=As Barbados prepares to ditch the Queen as its Head of State and become a republic, a prominent political scientist is predicting that Prime Minister Mia Mottley will follow the Trinidad and Tobago model. What's more, Peter Wickham has shot down any idea of the Barbados Labour Party administration holding a referendum on the matter, saying that to do so would be a 'mistake'. 'There is no need to and I don't think it makes a lot of sense. We had a situation where since 1999 this [political party] indicated its desire to go in the direction of a republic. The Opposition has always supported it ... So, I think there is enough cohesion in that regard to go with it,' he said. }}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54174794 |title=Barbados to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state |work=BBC News |date=16 September 2020 |access-date=18 March 2021 |archive-date=11 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311160055/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54174794 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 20 September 2021, just over a full year after the announcement for the transition was made, the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2021 was introduced to the Parliament of Barbados. Passed on 6 October, the Bill made amendments to the Constitution of Barbados, introducing the office of the [[President of Barbados]] to replace the role of [[Elizabeth II]], Queen of Barbados.<ref name="billdetail">{{cite web |title=Barbados Parliament Bills Archive |url=https://www.barbadosparliament.com/bills/details/581 |website=www.barbadosparliament.com |language=en |access-date=8 October 2021 |publication-date= |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008030047/https://www.barbadosparliament.com/bills/details/581 |url-status=live}}</ref> The following week, on 12 October 2021, incumbent [[Governor-General of Barbados]] Sandra Mason was jointly nominated by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition as candidate to be the first [[List of heads of state of Barbados|President of Barbados]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/sittings/attachments/11c0bb650b1c768dbdbee5a0208f6256.pdf |publisher=[[Parliament of Barbados]] |access-date=16 October 2021 |date=12 October 2021 |title=Letter to the Speaker RE Nomination of Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason as 1st President of Barbados |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015205955/https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/sittings/attachments/11c0bb650b1c768dbdbee5a0208f6256.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and was subsequently [[2021 Barbadian presidential election|elected]] on 20 October.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/19661398.barbados-just-appointed-first-president-becomes-republic/ |title=Barbados just appointed its first president as it becomes a republic |work=[[The National (Scotland)|The National]] |date=20 October 2021 |location=Scotland|access-date=21 October 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021191804/https://www.thenational.scot/news/19661398.barbados-just-appointed-first-president-becomes-republic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mason took office on 30 November 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://constitutionnet.org/news/barbados-parliament-votes-amend-constitution-paving-way-republican-status#:~:text=republican%20status%20%7C%20ConstitutionNet-,In%20Barbados%2C%20parliament%20votes%20to%20amend%20constitution%2C%20paving,the%20way%20to%20republican%20status&text=Parliament%20voted%20by%20a%2025,into%20force%20by%20November%2030 |title=In Barbados, parliament votes to amend constitution, paving the way to republican status |date=30 September 2021 |publisher=ConstitutionNet |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008170938/http://constitutionnet.org/news/barbados-parliament-votes-amend-constitution-paving-way-republican-status#:~:text=republican%20status%20%7C%20ConstitutionNet-,In%20Barbados%2C%20parliament%20votes%20to%20amend%20constitution%2C%20paving,the%20way%20to%20republican%20status&text=Parliament%20voted%20by%20a%2025,into%20force%20by%20November%2030 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Prince Charles]], who was heir apparent to the Barbadian Crown, attended the swearing-in ceremony in Bridgetown at the invitation of the Government of Barbados.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59470843 "Barbados becomes a republic and parts ways with the Queen"], BBC News</ref>

Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of congratulations to President Mason and the people of Barbados, saying: "As you celebrate this momentous day, I send you and all Barbadians my warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace and prosperity in the future."<ref>{{cite web |title=A message from The Queen to the President and people of Barbados |url=https://www.royal.uk/message-queen-president-and-people-barbados |website=The Royal Family |access-date=30 November 2021 |language=en |date=30 November 2021}}</ref>

A survey was taken between October 23, 2021, and November 10, 2021, by the [[University of the West Indies]] that showed 34% of respondents being in favour of transitioning to a republic, while 30% were indifferent. Notably, no overall majority was found in the survey; with 24% not indicating a preference, and the remaining 12% being opposed to the removal of Queen Elizabeth.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-12-21|title=Survey shows support for republic|url=https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/12/21/survey-shows-support-for-republic/|access-date=22 December 2021|website=Barbados Today|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=20 December 2021|title=UWI poll: Republic preferred option|url=https://www.nationnews.com/2021/12/20/uwi-poll-republic-preferred-option/|access-date=22 December 2021|website=www.nationnews.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2022, Barbados Prime Minister [[Mia Mottley]]'s Labor Party received a landslide victory, winning all 30 legislative seats, in the first general [[2022 Barbadian general election|election]] since Barbados became a republic.<ref>{{cite news |title=Barbados PM hails governing party's landslide election victory |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/20/barbados-pm-hails-ruling-party-landslide-election-victory |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref>

On 20 June 2022, a Constitutional Review Commission was formed and sworn in by Jeffrey Gibson (who, at the time, was serving temporarily as Acting President of Barbados) to review the Constitution of Barbados.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-20 |title=Members of Constitutional Review Commission sworn in |url=https://www.nationnews.com/2022/06/20/members-constitutional-review-commission-sworn/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=www.nationnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Commission will have an 18-month timeline to complete its work. They are expected to solicit input from members of the public in Barbados via a series of face-to-face and online events.