Commonwealth_republic encyclopedia topics

Commonwealth republic

A Commonwealth republic is any one of the 31 sovereign states of the Commonwealth of Nations with a republican form of government. Though they are nearly all former British colonies, in contrast to the 16 Commonwealth realms they are not in a personal union relationship, do not have Elizabeth II as their respective Head of state, nor do they have another monarch as Head of State. Elizabeth II is still the titular Head of the Commonwealth, but does not have any political power within the Commonwealth republics.

Thirty of the republics are former British self-governing colonies that have evolved into republics by various means. In most cases, the countries achieved independence as Commonwealth realms, and later became Commonwealth republics. In some instances, the countries became Commonwealth republics after achieving independence from other former British colonies (as Bangladesh did from Pakistan in 1971). The latest country to become a Commonwealth republic was Mauritius in 1992. The only member not to have been a British colony is Mozambique, which was a Portuguese colony.

History

Republics have been allowed as members of the Commonwealth since 1950, following the London Declaration. This declaration came about because India sought continued membership of the Commonwealth despite its republican status. As a compromise, republics within the Commonwealth are required to recognise Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth, but not as their Head of state.

Following their independence from the United Kingdom, most Commonwealth countries retained Elizabeth II as head of state, the Monarch adopting a title to indicate sovereignty of their own respective nations (such as "Queen of Barbados", rather than "Queen of the United Kingdom"). South Africa and Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) were the first to do this. With time, many Commonwealth realms moved to become republics, passing constitutional amendments or holding referendums to remove the monarch as their head of state, and replacing the Governor-General with an elected or appointed president. This was especially true in post-colonial Africa. Most African realms became republics within a few years of independence, and usually followed the Presidential system. Some states became Parliamentary republics, such as Malta or Fiji.

In Fiji, the change to a republic in 1987 came as a result of a military coup, rather than out of any republican sentiment, as Fiji's indigenous chiefs had voluntarily ceded their country to the Crown. Even when Fiji was not a member of the Commonwealth, symbols of the monarchy remained, including the Queen's portrait on banknotes and coins, and, unlike in the United Kingdom, the Queen's Official Birthday is a public holiday. When Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth, the issue of reinstating the Queen as Head of State was raised, but not pursued, although the country's Great Council of Chiefs reaffirmed that the Queen was still the country's 'Paramount Chief'.

Some Commonwealth republics became republics on gaining independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Remaining constitutional links

Most Commonwealth republics have removed all residual constitutional links to the United Kingdom Parliament. However, some allow appeals directly to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, such as Dominica, Mauritius, and if the case involves constitutional rights, Kiribati.

Commonwealth membership

Within the Commonwealth, there is no difference in status between the Commonwealth republics and Commonwealth realms or the other Commonwealth members, which are realms with their own monarchs (Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, and Tonga).

Though becoming a republic does not automatically require a change to Commonwealth membership, Commonwealth realms that become republics must still obtain the permission of other members to remain in the organisation after becoming a republic. Though this is usually only a formality, any member(s) against the proposal can block the membership of a republican state in the Commonwealth. However, the rejection of membership is often due to racial policies (as with apartheid South Africa in 1961, which did not re-apply for membership) pursued by the government, not republicanism. Fiji and the Maldives did not apply for continued membership after becoming republics, and thus lost their positions in the Commonwealth as of that time.

Current Commonwealth republics

In some former Commonwealth realms, including Malta, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius, the new office of President was a ceremonial post, usually held by the last Governor-General, each respective country being a Parliamentary republic. In others, such as Ghana, Malawi and Gambia, the Presidency was an executive post, usually first held by the last Prime Minister, with each respective country being a Presidential republic. In the latter cases not only was the monarchy abolished, but so was the entire Westminster system of parliamentary government as well.

List of Commonwealth republics

Former Commonwealth realms

List of former Commonwealth realms, by year of attaining republican status:

Note: The tables could be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

	Year of independence	Year became a republic	Republic created through	Percentage won	Type of president	First president
1	1947	1950	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	New appointment
2	1947	1956¹	New constitution		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
3	1957	1960	Referendum	88.47%	Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
4	1910	1961²	Referendum	52.3%	Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
5	1960	1963	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
6	1962	1963	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial, later executive	New appointment
7	1963	1964	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
8	1961	1962³	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
9	1964	1966	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
10	1965	1970	Referendum	62.3%	Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
11	1966	1970	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General⁵
12	1961	1971	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
13	1948	1972	New constitution		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
14	1964	1974	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General
15	1962	1976	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General
16	1970	1987⁴	Military coup		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General
17	1968	1992	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General⁵

1. Withdrew in 1972 in protest at Commonwealth recognition of Bangladesh; rejoined until 1989.
2. Withdrew in 1961; rejoined in 1994.
3. As Tanganyika - merged with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.
4. Commonwealth membership lapsed in 1987; rejoined in 1997; suspended in 2000; readmitted 2001; suspended in 2006.
5. Interim President, new appointment shortly after.

Republics on independence

	Member state	Year of independence	Republic created through	Percentage won	Type of president	First president
1		1960¹	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
2		1961²	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
3		1962³	New constitution		Ceremonial	New appointment
4		1964	New constitution		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
5		1965⁴	Referendum	??	Executive	New appointment
6		1965⁵	New constitution		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor (as a state of Malaysia)
7		1966	New constitution		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
8		1968⁶	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
9		1971⁷	New constitution		Ceremonial	New appointment
10		1975⁸	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
11		1976	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
12		1978	New constitution		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General (interim)
13		1979	New constitution		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
14		1980	New constitution		Ceremonial	New appointment
15		1990⁹	New constitution		Executive	New appointment

1. Cyprus became a member of the Commonwealth in 1961.
2. Cameroon became a member of the Commonwealth in 1995.
3. Samoa became a member of the Commonwealth in 1970, but its heads of state were originally two traditional chiefs, but was de jure a republic; after the death of the last traditional chief, the new head of state was chosen for a five-year term by Samoa's parliament.
4. The Maldives became a republic in 1968 (prior to which it had been an independent sultanate), but had never been a member of the Commonwealth; the Maldives joined in 1982.
5. Singapore was formerly part of Malaysia.
6. Nauru became an independent republic in 1968, but did not become a full member of the Commonwealth until 2000.
7. Bangladesh was formerly East Pakistan.
8. Mozambique's independence as a republic was attained from Portugal in 1975. It became a member of the Commonwealth in 1995.
9. Namibia was formerly a League of Nations Mandated Territory administered by South Africa and continued to be de facto administrated by South Africa until independence

Former Commonwealth republics

Currently, the only former Commonwealth republics are:

, republic since 1980, left the Commonwealth in 2003.
, republic since 1987, suspended from the Commonwealth in 2006.

Potential Commonwealth republics

Commonwealth realms

In November 2007, Barbados announced that it will hold a referendum on whether to become a republic by August 2008.

Republics on independence

A number of former British colonies became republics on or since independence, but did not join the Commonwealth, or would not have been permitted to as republics were not allowed to remain in the Commonwealth at the time of their independence. These states are not former Commonwealth members per se, but would be entitled to membership of the Commonwealth as republics.

These republics are;

,¹ republic since 1948 (former British colony).
,¹ republic since 1948 (former British mandate of Palestine).
, republic since 1956 (former Anglo-Egyptian Condominium)

1. Burma and Israel became republics on independence, prior to the London Declaration, which allowed republics to be members of the Commonwealth.

In addition, should the State of Palestine (part of the former British mandate of Palestine) achieve statehood, it could be added to this list.

Ireland

today is a republic and a former member of the Commonwealth. However, it does not fit neatly into any of the above categories. Unlike Burma, Israel and Sudan, it was not a British colony. Instead, from 1801 until 1922 it was an integral part of the United Kingdom. In 1922, as the Irish Free State it became a Dominion in the British Commonwealth. In 1937, the present-day Irish state, Ireland was established. Its constitution established it as a de facto republic with no reference to the British monarchy but equally no reference to a republic either. In 1949 Ireland proclaimed that it was a republic but no new Irish state was established. The same state established in 1937 continued in being. Hence Ireland did become a republic since independence and was a member of the Commonwealth but was never a Commonwealth republic.

Former Colonies in other modern Republics

Other republics include territory that was previously under British rule, and could qualify for membership following the precedent set by Cameroon, which joined in 1995.

, includes former British Somaliland, which merged with Italian Somaliland to form Somalia in 1960.
, includes the former South Yemen formerly the British protectorate of Aden, which became an independent republic in 1967 and united with North Yemen in 1990.

History

Republics have been allowed as members of the Commonwealth since 1950, following the London Declaration. This declaration came about because India sought continued membership of the Commonwealth despite its republican status. As a compromise, republics within the Commonwealth are required to recognise Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth, but not as their Head of state.

Following their independence from the United Kingdom, most Commonwealth countries retained Elizabeth II as head of state, the Monarch adopting a title to indicate sovereignty of their own respective nations (such as "Queen of Barbados", rather than "Queen of the United Kingdom"). South Africa and Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) were the first to do this. With time, many Commonwealth realms moved to become republics, passing constitutional amendments or holding referendums to remove the monarch as their head of state, and replacing the Governor-General with an elected or appointed president. This was especially true in post-colonial Africa. Most African realms became republics within a few years of independence, and usually followed the Presidential system. Some states became Parliamentary republics, such as Malta or Fiji.

In Fiji, the change to a republic in 1987 came as a result of a military coup, rather than out of any republican sentiment, as Fiji's indigenous chiefs had voluntarily ceded their country to the Crown. Even when Fiji was not a member of the Commonwealth, symbols of the monarchy remained, including the Queen's portrait on banknotes and coins, and, unlike in the United Kingdom, the Queen's Official Birthday is a public holiday. When Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth, the issue of reinstating the Queen as Head of State was raised, but not pursued, although the country's Great Council of Chiefs reaffirmed that the Queen was still the country's 'Paramount Chief'.

Some Commonwealth republics became republics on gaining independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Remaining constitutional links

Most Commonwealth republics have removed all residual constitutional links to the United Kingdom Parliament. However, some allow appeals directly to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, such as Dominica, Mauritius, and if the case involves constitutional rights, Kiribati.

Commonwealth membership

Within the Commonwealth, there is no difference in status between the Commonwealth republics and Commonwealth realms or the other Commonwealth members, which are realms with their own monarchs (Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, and Tonga).

Though becoming a republic does not automatically require a change to Commonwealth membership, Commonwealth realms that become republics must still obtain the permission of other members to remain in the organisation after becoming a republic. Though this is usually only a formality, any member(s) against the proposal can block the membership of a republican state in the Commonwealth. However, the rejection of membership is often due to racial policies (as with apartheid South Africa in 1961, which did not re-apply for membership) pursued by the government, not republicanism. Fiji and the Maldives did not apply for continued membership after becoming republics, and thus lost their positions in the Commonwealth as of that time.

Current Commonwealth republics

In some former Commonwealth realms, including Malta, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius, the new office of President was a ceremonial post, usually held by the last Governor-General, each respective country being a Parliamentary republic. In others, such as Ghana, Malawi and Gambia, the Presidency was an executive post, usually first held by the last Prime Minister, with each respective country being a Presidential republic. In the latter cases not only was the monarchy abolished, but so was the entire Westminster system of parliamentary government as well.

List of Commonwealth republics

Former Commonwealth realms

List of former Commonwealth realms, by year of attaining republican status:

Note: The tables could be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

	Year of independence	Year became a republic	Republic created through	Percentage won	Type of president	First president
1	1947	1950	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	New appointment
2	1947	1956¹	New constitution		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
3	1957	1960	Referendum	88.47%	Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
4	1910	1961²	Referendum	52.3%	Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
5	1960	1963	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
6	1962	1963	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial, later executive	New appointment
7	1963	1964	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
8	1961	1962³	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
9	1964	1966	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
10	1965	1970	Referendum	62.3%	Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
11	1966	1970	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General⁵
12	1961	1971	Constitutional amendment		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
13	1948	1972	New constitution		Ceremonial, later executive	Incumbent Governor-General
14	1964	1974	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General
15	1962	1976	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General
16	1970	1987⁴	Military coup		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General
17	1968	1992	Constitutional amendment		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General⁵

1. Withdrew in 1972 in protest at Commonwealth recognition of Bangladesh; rejoined until 1989.
2. Withdrew in 1961; rejoined in 1994.
3. As Tanganyika - merged with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.
4. Commonwealth membership lapsed in 1987; rejoined in 1997; suspended in 2000; readmitted 2001; suspended in 2006.
5. Interim President, new appointment shortly after.

Republics on independence

	Member state	Year of independence	Republic created through	Percentage won	Type of president	First president
1		1960¹	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
2		1961²	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
3		1962³	New constitution		Ceremonial	New appointment
4		1964	New constitution		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
5		1965⁴	Referendum	??	Executive	New appointment
6		1965⁵	New constitution		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor (as a state of Malaysia)
7		1966	New constitution		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
8		1968⁶	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
9		1971⁷	New constitution		Ceremonial	New appointment
10		1975⁸	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
11		1976	New constitution		Executive	New appointment
12		1978	New constitution		Ceremonial	Incumbent Governor-General (interim)
13		1979	New constitution		Executive	Incumbent Prime Minister
14		1980	New constitution		Ceremonial	New appointment
15		1990⁹	New constitution		Executive	New appointment

1. Cyprus became a member of the Commonwealth in 1961.
2. Cameroon became a member of the Commonwealth in 1995.
3. Samoa became a member of the Commonwealth in 1970, but its heads of state were originally two traditional chiefs, but was de jure a republic; after the death of the last traditional chief, the new head of state was chosen for a five-year term by Samoa's parliament.
4. The Maldives became a republic in 1968 (prior to which it had been an independent sultanate), but had never been a member of the Commonwealth; the Maldives joined in 1982.
5. Singapore was formerly part of Malaysia.
6. Nauru became an independent republic in 1968, but did not become a full member of the Commonwealth until 2000.
7. Bangladesh was formerly East Pakistan.
8. Mozambique's independence as a republic was attained from Portugal in 1975. It became a member of the Commonwealth in 1995.
9. Namibia was formerly a League of Nations Mandated Territory administered by South Africa and continued to be de facto administrated by South Africa until independence

Former Commonwealth republics

Currently, the only former Commonwealth republics are:

, republic since 1980, left the Commonwealth in 2003.
, republic since 1987, suspended from the Commonwealth in 2006.

Potential Commonwealth republics

Commonwealth realms

In November 2007, Barbados announced that it will hold a referendum on whether to become a republic by August 2008.

Republics on independence

A number of former British colonies became republics on or since independence, but did not join the Commonwealth, or would not have been permitted to as republics were not allowed to remain in the Commonwealth at the time of their independence. These states are not former Commonwealth members per se, but would be entitled to membership of the Commonwealth as republics.

These republics are;

,¹ republic since 1948 (former British colony).
,¹ republic since 1948 (former British mandate of Palestine).
, republic since 1956 (former Anglo-Egyptian Condominium)

1. Burma and Israel became republics on independence, prior to the London Declaration, which allowed republics to be members of the Commonwealth.

In addition, should the State of Palestine (part of the former British mandate of Palestine) achieve statehood, it could be added to this list.

Ireland

today is a republic and a former member of the Commonwealth. However, it does not fit neatly into any of the above categories. Unlike Burma, Israel and Sudan, it was not a British colony. Instead, from 1801 until 1922 it was an integral part of the United Kingdom. In 1922, as the Irish Free State it became a Dominion in the British Commonwealth. In 1937, the present-day Irish state, Ireland was established. Its constitution established it as a de facto republic with no reference to the British monarchy but equally no reference to a republic either. In 1949 Ireland proclaimed that it was a republic but no new Irish state was established. The same state established in 1937 continued in being. Hence Ireland did become a republic since independence and was a member of the Commonwealth but was never a Commonwealth republic.

Former Colonies in other modern Republics

Other republics include territory that was previously under British rule, and could qualify for membership following the precedent set by Cameroon, which joined in 1995.

, includes former British Somaliland, which merged with Italian Somaliland to form Somalia in 1960.
, includes the former South Yemen formerly the British protectorate of Aden, which became an independent republic in 1967 and united with North Yemen in 1990.

History

Remaining constitutional links

Commonwealth membership

Current Commonwealth republics

List of Commonwealth republics

Former Commonwealth realms

Republics on independence

Former Commonwealth republics

Potential Commonwealth republics

Commonwealth realms

Republics on independence

Ireland

Former Colonies in other modern Republics

See also

History

Remaining constitutional links

Commonwealth membership

Current Commonwealth republics

List of Commonwealth republics

Former Commonwealth realms

Republics on independence

Former Commonwealth republics

Potential Commonwealth republics

Commonwealth realms

Republics on independence

Ireland

Former Colonies in other modern Republics

See also