The Jamaican government has made a move to remove King Charles as its ceremonial head of state to become a republic.
On December 10, Jamaica’s Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, introduced the Constitution (Amendment) Republic Act 2024 in the House of Representatives, the Lower House of Parliament, initiating the process of replacing King Charles with a Jamaican president.
According to the BBC, 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.
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.
