Barbados marked its 55th Independence Day on Tuesday, Nov. 30, by officially removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state and commemorating its new status as a republic.

The move from a constitutional monarchy to a parliamentary republic fulfilled a promise made over a year ago by Governor General Sandra Mason, who declared it was time for the country to fully leave its colonial past behind and make a Barbadian person the head of state.

Mason, who was elected the first president of Barbados in October, was formally sworn in Monday night at the National Heroes Square celebrations in Bridgetown. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley remains head of government.

Since Independence we have built an international reputation anchored on our characteristics, our national values, our stability and our success, drawing on the lessons of those intervening years, possessing a clear sense of who we are and what we are capable of achieving, Mason said, via Nation News , during her first presidential address amid the celebrations.