As Jamaica continues its push for major constitutional changes this is the third in a series by constitutional expert Dr Lloyd Barnett to be published by the Jamaica Observer, highlighting some of the main proposals from the Constitution Reform Committee (CRC).

1. When Jamaica removes the British king as our head of State and establishes our own head of State we will have to establish the new office of president.

2. Since we have decided on retaining the parliamentary Cabinet system in which the president is nominated, then the head of State will now be a Jamaican.

3. The person appointed to this office must be a Jamaican citizen by birth or descent and be ordinarily resident in Jamaica for 10 of the last 15 years.

4. He or she must not be under any duty of allegiance to a foreign State or be disqualified from election to Parliament.

5. The person appointed as president must be capable of representing our national identity and embody our national unity and aspirations.

6. The president will be nominated by the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the Opposition but must have the confirmation of a two-third majority of the members of each of the houses of Parliament at a joint sitting.

7. However, where there is no consensus between the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition, each should be empowered to make a separate nomination for confirmation by the Parliament in a joint sitting of both Houses where each House votes separately by secret ballot. However, instead of an affirmative vote of two-thirds, the successful nominee would, in this case, be confirmed on the vote of the absolute majority of each House.

Dr Lloyd Barnett is a member of the CRC. Send feedback to editorial@jamaicaobserver.com