New Zealand, which is a Commonwealth realm headed by the UK monarch, will not become a republic in the near future, though this can still happen later, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th September, 2022) New Zealand, which is a Commonwealth realm headed by the UK monarch, will not become a republic in the near future, though this can still happen later, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
On Sunday, the government of Antigua and Barbuda, which is also a Commonwealth realm, announced its plans to hold a national referendum within the next three years to decide whether the country should become a republic following the death of UK Queen Elizabeth II.
"I do believe that is where New Zealand will head, in time. I believe it is likely to occur in my lifetime but I do not see it as a short-term measure or anything that is on the agenda any time soon," Ardern told a press conference.
On September 8, UK Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms for over 70 years, died at the age of 96. Her eldest son, Charles III, was officially proclaimed the new UK king on Saturday. On Sunday, Charles III was also proclaimed new monarch in an official ceremony in New Zealand.
New Zealand is a constitutional democracy and the king is its official head of state. Neither the king nor his stand-in takes an active or initiating role in the executive functions of the island country's government. The country's government led by the prime minister exercises executive political power.
