This important opinion by Derek O’Brien appears in Constitutionnet. Here is an excerpt:
Jamaica’s new Constitution Reform Committee is tasked with reviewing the 1962 Constitution with the goal of facilitating the country’s transition to a republic. Unlike the four states that have become republics in the English-Speaking Caribbean, in Jamaica such a change would require a referendum – currently scheduled for 2025. Before that time, the Committee must produce its recommendations in a timely fashion to allow the government to mobilise public opinion in advance of the referendum. To increase the likelihood of passing, the removal of the Queen as head of state must not be subsumed in a package of other, less popular, constitutional reforms, and the opposition must not seek to use the forthcoming referendum for its own political advantage.
Read the full story here.
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