A
republic in the Commonwealth of Nations is any one of the 33 sovereign states of the
Commonwealth of Nations (including
Fiji whose membership is currently suspended) with a
republican form of government. Though they are nearly all former
British possessions, in contrast to the 16
Commonwealth realms they do not have
Elizabeth II or 5 other Commonwealth members that have their own monarch as their
Head of state. Elizabeth II is still the titular
Head of the Commonwealth in a personal capacity, but this role does not carry with it any power, but acts as a symbol of the free association of Commonwealth members.
Thirty of the republics are former British (or partly 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 republics within the Commonwealth. In some instances, the countries became republics after achieving independence from other former British colonies (as Bangladesh did from Pakistan in 1971). The latest country to become a republic within the Commonwealth was
Mauritius in 1992. The only members not to have been a British colony or protectorate are
Mozambique, which was a Portuguese colony, and
Rwanda, a former Belgian trust territory that had been a German colony.
History
Republics have been allowed as members of the Commonwealth since 1949, following the
London Declaration made on 28 April...
Read More