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An association of 54 sovereign states which has grown out of the constitutional development and subsequent disintegration of the British Empire. It has no formal constitution, save the acceptance by all members of Queen Elizabeth II (and before her King George VI) as the symbol of their association and as the Head of the Commonwealth. (It should be noted, however, that since the London Declaration of 1949 this is a personal appointment and so does not necessarily pass to the succeeding British monarch.) Of the members, 16 have the monarch as their head of state, five have their own monarchical arrangements, and the remaining 33 are republics. Until the admission of Mozambique furnished an exception (in 1995), it had been assumed, and is still assumed, that the (normal) prerequisite for membership was for the state in question (or part of it) to have been, in one way or another, under British jurisdiction. Members are expected to behave in accord with certain broad principles, which endorse (for example) democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
The Commonwealth proceeds on the basis of consultation, and engages in such cooperative action and extends such intra-Commonwealth assistance as can be agreed by all members. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGMs) are held every two years, and meetings of other ministers (sense 3) take place periodically. The Commonwealth\'s central coordinating body is the Commonwealth Secretariat, based in London, which was established in 1965 (Britain having previously undertaken such tasks). Additionally, there are numerous unofficial Commonwealth bodies and agencies.
At CHOGMs and other official Commonwealth meetings, the representative of the host state (sense 2) is in the chair, with the other members being seated around the table on a clockwise alphabetical basis, the member highest in the alphabet taking the place immediately to the chairperson\'s left. Thus, at such meetings, the present membership of the Commonwealth results in the representative of Antigua and Barbuda always being to the chairperson\'s left, with the Zimbabwean representative being next but one on the chairperson\'s right - the Commonwealth Secretary-General being between the two of them.
See also dominions; high commissioner; Queen\'s Realms; trade commissioner. |
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