KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) - Voters in the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines decide Wednesday whether to break their ties with Britain’s monarchy, even as Queen Elizabeth II is making a rare visit to the region.

A two-thirds majority in the referendum is needed to adopt a proposed constitution that would replace the charter in place since independence from Britain in 1979.

If the charter is approved, St. Vincent and the Grenadines would join other Caribbean nations that have enacted new constitutions in recent months, including the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands.

The proposed constitution would remove the British monarch as the head of state and create a president nominated by the two political parties. Among other changes, it would establish a new court of appeals to replace Britain’s Privy Council, which is now the highest court of appeal for the island nation.