Key Takeaways

• Out of 56 Commonwealth nations, most are former British colonies. Two exceptions, Mozambique and Rwanda, joined voluntarily in 1995 and 2009 despite never having been colonized by the British Empire. Even more surprisingly, Gabon and Togo became members in 2022, though they are former French colonies.
• The total population of the Commonwealth is 2.5 billion, accounting for nearly one-third of the total global population, occupying 25% of the world's land mass. This is primarily thanks to the three largest members: Canada, India, and Australia.
• The Commonwealth members include 21 countries in Africa, 13 countries in the Caribbean and Americas, 11 countries in the Pacific, 8 Asian countries, and 3 European countries.
• Given that the Commonwealth nations often have a shared international agenda, being a member has been described as a way "to strengthen diplomatic armor" and increase soft power on the global stage. This has been noted by BBC in relation to recent decisions by Togo and Gabon to join the association in an effort to distance themselves from French influences. Both countries opted for joining despite not having a history of close relations with the UK.

Introduction

Overview of the Commonwealth of Nations

• As per the 1971 Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, "The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states… consulting and cooperating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace."

• The Commonwealth comprises 56 members. A full list can be found here.
• Most of the Commonwealth nations are former British colonies. Two exceptions, Mozambique and Rwanda joined voluntarily in 1995 and 2009 despite never having been colonized by the British Empire. Even more surprisingly, Gabon and Togo became members in 2022, even though they are former French colonies.
• Out of the 56 members, only 15 currently recognize the British monarch as their head of state, with five having their own monarchs (namely, Lesotho, Eswatini, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Tonga) and 36 being republics. Australia and Canada are among the countries that have King Charles as their leader.

 

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• The Commonwealth members include 21 countries in Africa, 13 countries in the Caribbean and Americas, 11 countries in the Pacific, 8 Asian countries, and 3 European countries.
• The total population of the Commonwealth is 2.5 billion, accounting for nearly one-third of the total global population, occupying 25% of the world's land mass. This is primarily thanks to the three largest members: Canada, India, and Australia.
• Until 2022, the UK remained the largest economy in the region. However, it has recently been overtaken by India with its GDP of $3.5 billion, compared to $3.4 billion in the UK. The three other largest economies are Canada, Australia, and Nigeria.

 

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• The Commonwealth's population is largely youthful with over 60% of the Commonwealth population being under 29 years.
• About 42 countries are identified as small states for having less than 1.5 million population. Among these nations, 32 states are members of the Commonwealth.

 

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Membership Benefits

• Trade and economy support: Commonwealth members receive assistance in expanding their exports, improving debt management, and sustainable management of natural resources.
• Democracy and government: Commonwealth members support each other in strengthening legal systems, implementing good governance, improving justice systems, and promoting human rights. They do so through regular meetings, as well as shared funds and organizations.
• Given that the Commonwealth nations often have a shared international agenda, being a member has been described as a way "to strengthen diplomatic armor" and increase soft power on the global stage. This has been noted by BBC in relation to recent decisions by Togo and Gabon to join the association in an effort to distance themselves from French influences. Both countries opted for joining despite not having a history of close relations with the UK.

Membership Obligations

• Commonwealth members have no formal obligations to one another. However, its members signed the Commonwealth Charter, which signifies their joint pledge to stand by their shared core values.
• According to the Commonwealth Charters, members share a commitment to "upholding democracy; protecting human rights; international peace and security; tolerance, respect, and understanding; freedom of expression; separation of powers; rule of law; good governance; sustainable development; protecting the environment; access to health, education, food, and shelter; gender equality; the importance of young people in the Commonwealth; recognition of needs of small states; recognition of needs of vulnerable states; the role of the civil service."
• Each country applying to join the Commonwealth has to pass an informal assessment, which determines whether it is committed to democracy and good governance and has ties with an existing member. There may be special cases where a country will be accepted despite the lack of connection.
• Furthermore, applicants need to accept English as the language of Commonwealth relations and recognize the British monarch as Head of the Commonwealth.

Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

•  Shortly after King Charles' ascension to the throne, Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, declared that the country will hold a referendum before 2025 to decide whether to become a republic and remove King Charles III as the head of state.
• In March 2022, Andrew Holness, Jamaica's Prime Minister, announced his intention for Jamaica to become a republic through a public referendum before 2025. The PM communicated his intention "directly to his guests Prince William and Kate" during their official visit to the country.
• In March 2022, Belize announced its intention of removing the British monarch as its head of state and becoming a republic. To achieve this goal, the Belizean government led by Prime Minister John Briceno established the People’s Constitutional Commission, a body under the Constitutional and Political Reform Ministry. The goal of the Commission would be to conduct "consultations across the country on the continuing decolonization process" for at least a year and gauge the views of the citizens.

Introduction

Overview of Commonwealth Realms

• The Commonwealth of Nations is a "voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries," mostly comprising former colonies of the British Empire. These countries work on shared goals like peace, democracy, and development. The current Head of the Commonwealth is His Majesty King Charles III. He became the head after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022.
• Commonwealth realms are countries within the Commonwealth of Nations that have the Head of the Commonwealth as their head of state. Currently, His Majesty King Charles III is the head of state of 15 countries (Commonwealth realms), including the United Kingdom.
• The current 15 Commonwealth realms are the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
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Commonwealth Realms That Are Likely to Remove King Charles III as Their Head of State

Antigua and Barbuda

•  Shortly after King Charles' ascension to the throne, Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, declared that the country will hold a referendum before 2025 to decide whether to become a republic and remove King Charles III as the head of state.
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•  Despite the timing of the announcement, Gaston Browne told ITV News that the decision does not represent contempt for the British monarchy. He said, "This is a matter that has to be taken to a referendum for the people to decide. It does not represent any form of disrespect to the monarch. This is not an act of hostility, or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy. It is a final step to complete the circle of independence to become a truly sovereign nation."
• While Gaston Browne "is in the final year of his eight-year premiership," it is widely expected that he will be re-elected next year. His intention to make Antigua and Barbuda a republic following a public referendum comes on the heels of the neighboring country of Barbados becoming a republic in 2021 and removing Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. This is part of the growing movement among Caribbean nations "to distance themselves from their British monarchical past."
• Considering the recency of Mr. Browne's statement, there has been no publicly reported development regarding the referendum process yet. However, the Guardian has reported that the removal of the monarch as the head of state "would require a two-thirds majority in a referendum" in Antigua and Barbuda. Considering that "a 2018 vote to replace the privy council with the Caribbean court of justice as the final court of appeal fell well short of that threshold, not even reaching a simple majority," the process to remove the British monarch as the head of state does not seem to be feasible at present.
• Antigua and Barbuda achieved complete independence in 1981 but chose to remain a Commonwealth realm. According to the regulations of the Commonwealth's 1949 London Declaration, republics are permitted to remain a part of the Commonwealth.

Jamaica

• In March 2022, Andrew Holness, Jamaica's Prime Minister, announced his intention for Jamaica to become a republic through a public referendum before 2025. The PM communicated his intention "directly to his guests Prince William and Kate" during their official visit to the country.
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• Andrew Holness's statement came on the backdrop of public protests "held outside the British High Commission in Kingston" against Britain's role in the African slave trade. The protesting people demanded reparations and an apology from Great Britain.
• Andrew Holness said, "Jamaica is a very free and liberal country and the people are very expressive and I’m certain that you will have seen the spectrum of expression yesterday. There are issues here which are, as you would know, unresolved, but your presence gives an opportunity for these issues to be placed in context, put front and center and to be addressed as best we can."
• He also said, "But Jamaica is, as you can see, a country that is very proud of its history, very proud of what we have achieved and we are moving on and we intend to attain, in short order, our developing goals and to fulfill our true ambitions… as an independent, developed, prosperous country." Experts have stated that Mr. Holness's final statement clearly indicates that Jamaica intends to remove the incumbent British monarch (King Charles III) and become a republic through a public referendum.
• With the intention to become a republic clearly established, the Jamaican government has set up a new Ministry called the Ministry for Legal and Constitutional Affairs that has in turn set up a Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) to conduct a thorough review of the country's 1962 constitution and make changes so that the country becomes a republic.
• The Guardian has reported that the removal of the monarch as the head of state would require a simple majority in the referendum in Jamaica. This would be quite feasible in Jamaica as recent polls suggest that over 50% of Jamaicans support the idea of the country becoming a republic by removing the British monarch as its head of state.
•  Prof Rosalea Hamilton of The Advocacy Network says, "The conversation starts again. The more we talk about it, the more Jamaicans are waking up. They're learning their history, a history that was not taught to us in schools, that was hidden from us. The question before Jamaicans is simple. Do you want as head of state a monarch who is not prepared to apologize, to atone, who is not prepared to demonstrate regret, responsibility or (begin) a process of reparatory justice?"

Belize

• In March 2022, Belize announced its intention of removing the British monarch as its head of state and becoming a republic. To achieve this goal, the Belizean government led by Prime Minister John Briceno established the People’s Constitutional Commission, a body under the Constitutional and Political Reform Ministry. The goal of the Commission would be to conduct "consultations across the country on the continuing decolonization process" for at least a year and gauge the views of the citizens.
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•  Henry Charles Usher, Belize's Public Service, Constitutional & Political Reform Minister, also informed the Belizean Parliament that a Good Governance Unit had been set up that would operate as the Commission's Secretariat. The Good Governance Unit would comprehensively review Belize's laws, including its constitution.
• While clearly communicating the country's intention of becoming a republic, Mr. Usher said, "Madam Speaker, the decolonization process is enveloping the Caribbean region. Perhaps it is time for Belize to take that next step in truly owning our independence. But, it is a matter that the people of Belize must decide on."
• Belize intends to follow Barbados' footsteps and shed its colonial past by becoming a republic. This is part of the growing movement among Caribbean nations "to distance themselves from their British monarchical past."
• Belize's Prime Minister John Briceno also conveyed the country's sentiment when he said, "We have our own personal views and yes in many instances we believe that whilst there are certain things that we are grateful for the UK for what they did for us here in Belize. We, time, things change and we move on. Probably it is time for us to take a closer look as to the governance, how we can deepen democracy. That is what this whole interaction is going to be. We need to find where people can truly feel that they are the real owners of what happens in their country and that politicians need to understand that even after they are elected, they still have to be able to answer to the Belizean people."
• Belize is the only Caribbean country that requires only a simple parliamentary vote to remove King Charles III as its head of state. According to Grace Carrington of the UCL Institute of the Americas, this makes Belize "one of the most interesting ones to watch" as it is extremely feasible for Belize to become a republic in the near future.

Research Strategy