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

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Dame Sandra Mason, then the governor general of Barbados, is seen here after she was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2018 in London.





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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.

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