Dame Sandra Mason elected as first president of Barbados

The big picture: Mason, 72, will be sworn in on Nov. 30, which will mark the country's 55th anniversary of its independence from Britain.

• Mason has been the governor general since 2018 when she was appointed by the queen.

What they're saying: "The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind," Mason said in a speech delivered in September, according to Reuters.

• "Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state," Mason said. "This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving."
• Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley called the election a "seminal moment" in the country's journey, according to a statement.
• “The time has come for us to express the full confidence in ourselves as a people, and to believe that it is possible for one born of this nation to sign off finally and completely," Mottley added.