News / Politics

Lawmaker challenges British Queen's authority over Wales

Sunday, 28 April 2019 1:27 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 28 April 2019 1:33 PM ]

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves from her car after attending the Easter Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 21, 2019. (AFP photo)

A senior member of the Walsh parliament is seeking to abolish laws forcing lawmakers to pledge allegiance to the British monarch, saying representatives should be able to swear allegiance to the people who elected them.

Bethan Sayed, a republican member of the Walsh Assembly and member of the pro-independence Plaid Cymru party, said on Sunday that she would intensify her efforts to seek an alternative to the oath to the Queen so that the lawmakers could respect the people who gave them the power to sit in the parliament.

“I think in a democracy that we're living in, the people of Wales are the most important in all of our deliberations around politics,” Sayed told the BBC, adding, “So, I think it is vital that we are given that option, so the people of Wales can feel respected and honored by us as assembly members.”

Welsh assembly members (AMs) are supposed to swear an oath or make an affirmation to the Queen after being elected to take their seats. The pro-monarchy politicians, including the Conservatives, have repeatedly blocked efforts to abolish the system, saying the British Crown should be respected as the head of state who signs off on the laws.

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Sayed’s refusal to swear allegiance to the British Monarch comes against the backdrop of surging separatist sentiments across the United Kingdom, especially at a time of huge political uncertainty over the country’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Political parties in Scotland have renewed their calls for independence from London, saying people in the region are definitely opposed to leaving the EU.

Brexit has also helped revive separatism in Northern Ireland, the British province which has seen several high-profile attacks by republican militants this year.

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