Barbados elects a woman as its first president as it moves toward becoming a republic

The island of Barbados is in the midst of great change. As the country continues to transition into a republic, the nation has elected a woman as its very first president.

Dame Sandra Mason was elected after securing two-thirds of the votes in the country's two houses of Parliament, the government announced.

Barbados announced in September 2020 that it would become a republic, a process that involves removing Queen Elizabeth as the island nation's head of state.

"The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind," said Mason, the then-governor general of Barbados, in a speech delivered that month on behalf of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, according to Reuters. She added, "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."

Barbados first gained its independence from Britain in November 1966. Officials said last year that their goal was to complete the process of becoming a republic ahead of the 55th anniversary of that important date.

Prime Minister Mottley described Mason's election on Wednesday as a "seminal moment" on the road toward becoming a republic, according to the Government Information Service statement.

"The time has come for us to express the full confidence in ourselves as a people, and to believe that it is possible for one born of this nation to sign off finally and completely," she said. [Copyright 2021 NPR]