巴巴多斯总理米娅•莫特利当地时间16日宣布，明年起不再承认英国女王伊丽莎白二世为巴巴多斯国家元首，并宣布成立共和国。

　　在议会演讲中，莫特利称，现在是彻底抛弃巴巴多斯的殖民历史的时候了，“巴巴多斯想要一个巴巴多斯人来做国家元首。”

　　莫特利表示，巴巴多斯将在庆祝独立55周年之际成为一个共和国。作为一个独立国家，拥有完整主权是完全合乎逻辑的。

　　作为加勒比海的一个小岛国，巴巴多斯面积仅431平方千米，是全球面积最小的国家之一，其总人口不足30万人，国防军总人数仅有610人。

　　1966年，巴巴多斯脱离英国并宣布独立。与其他曾是英属殖民地的国家一样，作为英联邦成员国，巴巴多斯仍然保留了英国的君主制度，由英国女王担任其国家元首，女王通过任命总督来行使元首职权。

　　Barbados wants to remove Britain‘s Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State and become a republic， according to the Caribbean nation’s government。

　　The Caribbean island is a former British colony that gained independence in 1966 and Barbados has maintained a formal link with the British monarchy as have some other countries that were once part of the British empire。

　　“The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind”， said Barbados Governor General Sandra Mason， delivering a speech on behalf of the country‘s Prime Minister Mia Mottley。

　　“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。 Hence， Barbados will take the next logical step toward full sovereignty and become a republic by the time we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence。”

　　上世纪70年代，巴巴多斯人开始讨论共和制设想。上世纪90年代，巴巴多斯组建了一个宪法审议委员会，建议该国采取议会共和制。

　　2015年，时任巴巴多斯总理斯图亚特曾表示，该国应在“不久的将来”过渡到共和国体制。

　　2018年5月24日，巴巴多斯举行大选，工党领袖莫特利成为该国历史上首位女总理，也让巴巴多斯继续走向共和。

　　The decision has been discussed for a while。 In 2003， the island nation replaced its final appeals court， which was based in London， with a local Caribbean court of justice in Trinidad。

　　Barbados‘s prime minister in 2015 said the country should transition to “a republic form of government in the very near future。” Other Caribbean nations， including Trinidad and Tobago， Dominica and Guyana have also made the decision to become republics。

　　Currently， the governor general of Barbados is appointed by the queen on the advice of the island state‘s prime minister。 The governor general is a representative of the queen at events such as the state opening of parliament， which is where Mason delivered her speech。

　　对此，英国外交部回应称，这将由巴巴多斯自行决定。同时英国外交部强调，巴巴多斯和英国拥有持久的伙伴关系，两国将继续保持合作。

　　据悉，目前巴巴多斯尚未有举行公投的计划。如果该决策最终得以执行，女王将在2021年11月前卸任巴巴多斯的国家元首职务。

　　Buckingham Palace has said the issue is a matter for the people。 Britain‘s Foreign Office also said the decision was one for Barbados to take。

　　“Barbados and the UK are united in our shared history， culture， language and much more。 We have an enduring partnership and will continue to work with them along with our valued Caribbean partners，” said a Foreign Office spokeswoman。

　　On the Royal Family‘s official website， it states that the queen has a “unique relationship” with Barbados， adding： “Her Majesty is The Queen of Barbados， completely separate from her role as Queen of the United Kingdom。”

　　If the plan goes ahead， the queen will leave her role as head of state for Barbados by November 2021。