Parliamentary Representation of National Minorities in the Western Balkans: Wishful Thinking or Reality?
Parliamentary Representation of National Minorities in the Western Balkans: Wishful Thinking or Reality?

Summary/Abstract: In the 1990s, not only the countries of Central and Eastern Europe but also the countries of the Western Balkans became pluralist democracies, where, in addition to the political representation organized (primarily along ideological dimensions) by members of the majority society, national minorities also started to articulate their interests and demands to be involved in politics. At the same time the rights of national minorities and their participation in political life have gradually transformed from a marginal issue into a major one. This shift happened with changing dynamics, especially due to the tragic events in the Balkans. Simultaneously possible ways of ensuring the independent parliamentary representation of national minorities have also been widely discussed. Among alternative solutions there are various methods for separate parliamentary representation of national minorities. These solutions have been put into practice in many of the Western Balkan states. The aim of this paper is to review these alternative solutions of the past 30 years and the difficulties they have faced. The objective has been to provide a comprehensive exposition of the evolution of parliamentary representation of national minorities in the Western Balkans.

• Details
• Contents